Men Like Greg, are rare

 My life isn't fair, and I have done nothing that could possibly have deserved this.
I know it. I recognize the fact.
Yet
I am thankful every day for November 26.

 It makes sense that November 26, is frequently Thanksgiving.
Greg was born then.
That is reason enough to be thankful.

 I don't know how many other people have been blessed to spend so much of their life
loving a man like him,
but I know he is one of the best human beings I have ever met or even heard of
and he will always do the thing that is right
over the thing that is easy
and he will know the most random facts
and look at them objectively
and he will know what a fool I can be
and love me always and all ways.

 He will be exhausted and not want to get up
but there he goes out the door to work
and if he is running a gas station
cooking and delivering pizza
camp counselor at a Easter Seals Camp
Set designer, director, teacher
or paint crew,

he will do his job as if it is the most important job in the world
and treat the people he comes into contact with as if they are all important

 He notices when some stranger looks hungry and buys them a meal
or if a door is too heavy for some one struggling to get into a store
or if an animal is injured
and he tries to help.

 And he never forgets to play
and to stay about "12 mentally"

 He is brave enough to force me out of my safety zone on multiple occasions and fun enough to make me enjoy it.

 And when I introduced him to my brother with Down's Syndrome I watched him like a hawk to make sure he was able to pass the most important test of all, but no problem.  He loved Lance and Lance still adores him.

 When his big sister died, he wasn't ashamed to cry, and when my Dad was dying, he was there to be strong.  When I never knew what I needed he always did.  The first time my parents came to visit, and I sobbed like a baby when the left, He took me camping

 When my Dad died and we were 1300 miles away he took me to the beach and let me cry until the salt on my face was more tears than spray.

 He cares about his parents, siblings, children and friends with a depth and an honesty I had never seen before.  Not that the men in my family didn't love their family, but they might pat your head, not gave you the kind of open honest feelings my husband makes so easy.  In fact he taught my whole family to express themselves more lovingly just by hanging out with them and saying "I love you" until no one could doubt it

I told him I'd love him and grow old with him.  I know I will. But I also know I was too proud, and too scared and too stupid to have made it this long, without him always being more interested in repairing the relationship than in being right.

Thank God for men like Greg in the world.

Happy Birthday.