A Poem for John on his 36th Birthday

On November Sixth, Nineteen Ninety Eight,
We met up at ten for our fateful first date.
We both were surprised by our immediate connection
And spent several years deepening this affection.

We were meant for each other, we always knew,
And so, on July Seventh, Two Thousand and Two,
When you sang for me and your intentions professed,
You knew before you asked that my answer was yes.

On March Twenty-Second, Two Thousand and Three,
I was grafted into your family tree.
And though I cried as I said goodbye to our guests,
I knew as we left I was incredibly blessed.

In Two Thousand and Five we couldn’t stop crying
As we disappointed each other and loved ones kept dying.
But our marriage was made stronger by the trials we faced,
And God showed us anew the extent of His grace.

Two years later a daughter brought joy,
And two years after that, along came a boy.
Though parenthood definitely has moments of stress,
The heartwarming moments make up for the rest.

And John, as we enter Two Thousand and Ten,
Please know that I’d happily do this all over again.