Birthdays in the Quitt home have always been minimized. Not that we don’t acknowledge this special day. We do. It includes an extended hug, a robust “Happy Birthday”, and a celebratory dinner scheduled around the activities of more important matters. Yeah, not great. Admittedly we have admired the extravagant gift-givers & big party-throwers from a distance. Like a White Rhino in a wilderness preserve, they are a rare breed. Even more, we’ve tried to live into the fanfare with the balloons and streamers and surprise parties. It just feels forced—like a tuxedo on a hobo. Amy and I have always been more pragmatic—birthdays come and go. We may even quote Psalm 90, “Teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

In recent days, birthdays seem to be coming with faster regularity than we’re comfortable with. No specifics are available, but Amy is two scores, plus more than a few into her journey. (Yes, I’m going to make you look up what that means 🙂 ) And in honor of this woman whom I have shared a life with, I write what I love most about her. I limit this list to five things since her amenable qualities exceed my time to write.

1. I love her for how she loves our family. Tough and tender. Merciful and wise. There is no greater mentor for our children than their mother. No greater lover and bride and ever-present long-sufferer in the company of a short-tempered husband. No greater financial mind to make sure we’re not insolvent and living in a van down by the river. No greater display of what it looks like to grow in grace.

2. I love her for how she loves Jesus. If you know, you know. Her tenderness towards the Spirit, her fierceness to obey, passion for THE church, and her desire to live a life that matters in the light of eternity . . . this woman!

3. I love her for how she loves Scripture. Not unlike #2, but still different. My passion for Scripture was singularly inspired by her unquenchable thirst for the righteousness of God found in the pages of the bible. She knows the Word. In person & on a page. Thousands of verses hidden away in her heart that she might find deeper intimacy and also do battle when it matters most.

4. I love her for how she cultivates a home. We’ve been without a house these last 14 months—living as exiles in a spare bedroom at the in-laws. But even in our sequestered 250 square feet, she has made that space a home for our flourishing.

5. I love her for her view of life and eternity. She has the long game in mind. Her graying hair does not intimidate her. A new number on her driver’s license doesn’t make her sad. She knows she is already living in eternity. She determined that life, a glorified life, doesn’t begin after she has chased the American dream and fed at the trough of every small desire. She knows that life, a life of flourishing, is in the now and the then.

Happy Birthday, my bride. You are all things that I need.