Obsessive Observers: SPECIAL

A long over-due letter of appreciation to my loving wife, Ali

I promise, after this week, I will resume my normal weekly paid posts for y’all, covering news that I feel went unnoticed or was at least worth making sure you guys see. But this week, I am going to, once again, do something a little different.

For starters, I would like to apologize for skipping last week’s Friday Funnies and Obsessive Observers posts. I was entrenched in a fruitful investigation into my family genealogy, and decided, in light of the new addition to our family, Eli, I would make a post to commemorate my family’s name and all the history that will continue to be made once he is born. The exciting news I have for everyone is that we are due in FOUR days! Of course, this is completely dependent on whether he holds out that long or not.

I want to thank my beautiful wife, Ali, for everything she does. She has spent the past 9 months carrying our son to term. This is no easy task. This pregnancy came with its own unique challenges. Despite the physical, mental, and emotional turmoil that characterized this seemingly endless pregnancy, she worked her job through the first 8 months of pregnancy to ensure we would be as financially stable as possible while she was on maternity leave, as her line of work does not provide paid leave. (I’m sure many of you can relate)

Not once did she give up on making sure we lived in a comfortable, love-filled home — one suitable for our daughter Freya to grow up in. Not once did she let the sometimes-painful nature of growing an entire human inside of her get in the way of making sure both Freya and I were fed and cared for. She always, despite the extreme fatigue, made sure to be present for our daughter when all she wanted to do was play with mommy. She continued to take the load off me when I was having a bad day, taking even more onto her shoulders.

She’s shown me how strong someone can be, and how strong I need to be.

She’s shown me what it means to love someone — what it means to sacrifice for the ones you love.

I can’t thank her enough for all her love and support as we’ve both faced many ups and downs during this period. She has always exhibited a certain resilience that I commend her for. I find myself watching in amazement, hoping that someday I am as strong as she is.

As we approach these final moments before this new life blesses our home and our family with immeasurable joy, I would like to publish this letter I wrote to Ali in a moment of weakness. When I was weak, she was strong, and I can confidently say that without her support and loving guidance, I would be lost.

I Remember When…

Ali and I sometime in the past, enjoying food from somewhere, completely unaware of the rich future that we would share in the years to come