today is his birthday!!

he's the most godly person i know. he's the most gentle and patient person i've ever known. he's my resident theologian to whom i turn with all my God questions. he is a temperate man and i can count on one hand the times he's lost his temper since i've known him and all with good reason. he hasn't cussed since the 2nd grade when he lived in a housing project and ran with some kids who were rougher than he was used to and he got caught up in their lifestyle for a brief moment. 

he loves to preach as often as he can get in the pulpit and teaches the Word too in a sunday school setting whenever it's his turn in the rotation at our church. he was visiting some friends of ours whose daughter was sick and at children's hospital many years ago before we even lived in little rock. they'd had a chaplain come visit them and the friends remarked "you know, you'd be really good at that. you're so calm and comforting."

after leaving a pastorate and moving to little rock, he began working in hospice settings as a chaplain and soon ended up working as a chaplain at that same children's hospital where his friends' daughter had been a patient. now he runs the department and has for 14 years.

he was one of three boys raised by a single, sometimes-married mama (bless her and may she rest in peace), each of the boys with different fathers. one of his brothers was tragically killed in his twenties in a single car wreck with their first cousin, both killed immediately. drugs and alcohol were both culprits in their deaths. there was lots of alcohol in his home growing up and he knows the ravages alcoholism can bring into people's lives.

he wasn't raised in a christian home. one day when he was in elementary school, not wanting anyone to know what he was doing, he snuck outside to the storage shed to read the king james bible he'd received at school just to see what that was all about. later in high school, he prayed to receive Christ as His Savior at a young life camp in colorado on a cold, winter's nite in a conversation between him and God with a spectacular, clear sky full of stars too many to count.

he's been a wonderful (too inadequate a word) husband for 26 years, the excellent father of two: a favorite handsome son who's 24, a favorite beautiful daughter who's 21.

he is and will be (God-willing for 80+ years) my handsome husband and today is his 55th birthday.

happy birthday sunshine!!!!!!