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This is a guest post from Paul J. Clark. Check out Paul’s bio below to find out more info about him.
On a beautiful sunny day in late September of 2005, I married my best friend and the love of my life, Becky. Through these past eight years, there have been multiple moves, job changes and the fantastic blessing of three beautiful children. Along with our faith, our strong relationship has been one of the few sources of stability in our lives. I’ve learned a tremendous amount about life and what it means to really love and be loved by someone. Although physical affection is so important, there are other more significant ways she shows her love to me. There are five things my wife does that mean the world to me as her husband.Work Ethic
When I married my wife 8 years ago, I knew she was a hard worker. What I didn’t know at the time was how hard a worker she really is. What’s funny is that before I was married, work ethic was not high on the list of what I looked for. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want a slouch but I was okay with someone who had some drive and wasn’t lazy. Fortunately for me, I married someone who has surpassed every possible expectation I could ever have imagined. She works full time, takes care of 3 kids and is working on her doctorate. She’s not doing all this for fun, she’s doing it to help the family and that’s what makes it all the more meaningful.Motherhood
Anyone who has had children knows how life changing it is. For those who haven’t yet had children, take my word for it, everything changes, forever, and will never return to the way it was. My wife loves spending time with our three kids. What I love most is the way her voice and face light up when she gets to spend time just being a mom. As I get ready in the mornings the next room over, I hear the hustle and bustle of breakfast. Some days it’s a bit loud, actually, most days it’s loud. But that’s part of the fun of it all. And all the while, I hear my wife’s chipper voice directing all the activity of the morning routine. It’s the kind way she speaks to the kids and coaches them. It’s the laughter at silly things. During the bed time routine, as she talks to our two year old and tickles her, she makes changing diapers seem like the best thing since sliced bread (which it isn’t, by the way). It’s the extra effort to make story time engaging. It’s the innate instinct to get out of bed at 3am to see why one of them is crying. Mostly, it’s that my children feel safe and loved in her arms. They know she would do anything for them. And that’s one of the things I most love about her.Sincere Empathy
After a long day at the office, we swap stories and no matter what kind of a day she’s had, she always makes me feel important by listening, being attentive and showing genuine concern for my well-being. Even when she has every right to be the one talking rather than listening, she quietly shows her love and support when I need it most.Supporting My Hobbies
I’m an all-in guy. I don’t do things part of the way. I tend to think deeply about what I start then go about working on it obsessively until I’ve met my goals. My wife not only doesn’t try to stop me, she encourages me. For example, I’m a singer/songwriter in my off hours and record in my home studio. My wife has encouraged me to pursue this. As many of you know, the only time the house is quite is when the kids are asleep. So naturally, this is the time I have to work late into the night writing music from my home studio. Many Friday’s I stayed up until 3am working on tracks. She is so supportive of me chasing my dreams. She is not a musician and sometimes finds it difficult to understand why I love it so much. However, she lets me pursue this because she knows it’s important to me. And that makes me feel loved.The Goodnight Kiss
No matter what kind of day we’ve both had, no matter what stress we’re under, she always kisses me goodnight. This may seem like a small thing but it represents so much to me. It tells me that everything is okay, our relationship is still strong, she still loves me and I her, and we’re in this crazy thing called parenthood and life together.About Paul J. Clark
Paul is an unsigned independent artist based out of Lynchburg, VA. His music is a blend of catchy piano Pop, Alternative/Rock, with a hint of Dance/Electronic all intertwined with hook laden melodies. Paul plays multiple instruments, specializing in guitar and piano. All his music is written, performed, produced, mixed, and engineered by him (drums are arranged/compiled by him).He began releasing original music in 2011, his first two singles to major online retailers in 2013, and his first debut full length album as a solo artist in March of 2014. He continues to hold the #1 on the Lynchburg ReverbNation Pop charts and has recently peaked at #2 (out of ~230, all genres) overall in the region. His current goal is to write great songs, build a fan base, and get exposure through radio and other methods. Find out more about Paul and his music by “liking” his page on Facebook and listening to his music (for FREE) on ReverbNation.
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