Thursday 21 August 2008

Checking out the Goodies

Also known as Counting My Blessings... Nothing to do with the old TV series...

Here I sit, feeling a little hung-over after an evening playing games and drinking whisky and ginger wine - whisky-mac as we call it. Whisky - doesn't look right for some reason, I keep thinking I have spelt it wrong. Oh well.

Anyway, back to the topic!

I thought today I would like to count a few of my blessings. Here goes.

My wife. What can I say? She is the most wonderful person I can imagine. I have no idea where I would be now without her. She is amazingly funny, intelligent and strong, a rock I can cling to when I think the world is going to sweep me away. We are still totally in love. And yes, we still "do it" ;-) *

My children. They are the centre of my world and everything revolves around them. When we lost our eldest daughter I almost died at the same time, but it was having the other three that gave me the strength to keep going, whether they know it or not. Every day I draw strength from the joy and terror of being a parent.

True friends. Whether they are face to face or blogger friends, my true friends are a real blessing - the ones who are still there when the world craps on your head, the ones who say "if there is anything I can do" and actually mean it, the ones who don't mind if you vent your spleen once in a while, even the ones who force you to drink another whisky-mac when you have already had too many and still have to cycle 5 miles to get home. A true friend is worth a million others, and I am blessed to have so many.


* This comment goes back to an old discussion we had about sex education for our children, and the inevitable, uncomfortable question: "Do you and mummy still do it?"

14 comments:

Ali said...

Whiskey...the Irish spell it with an "e" - it's the Scots who spell it without, lol.

Anyways...awww for still being so in love with your wife - and congrats on still "doing it"!

And it is so obvious in the way you write about them that your children are your world :)
Strength from the joy and terror of it...that's a pretty perfect explanation.

True Friends? I really would do anything I could for you even though I'm so far away. And you can be damn sure I'd be the one feeding you extra drinks for the road...and probably videotaping you as you cycle away! Hehe :)

Rock Chef said...

Ali - Es - yes I remember now. You would video me too? A REAL True Friend! ;-)

tz said...

awesome post...I love hearing about marriages that endure...and about people who are still in love with their spouses...I think it's a rare thing and you are blessed!

And I agree with Ali, you can tell how much you love and cherish your children...it's beautiful to read...

thanks for your post!

Rock Chef said...

tz - Thanks. The more time goes on the more I start to feel like a bit of a freak, still being with the same person!

Anonymous said...

You are one lucky man to still be completely in love with your wife. That doesn't make you a freak, it makes you one of the wise ones.

And I admire a man who is so in tune with his children and cherishes them as you do. Your kids are very lucky to have you.

I'll let Ali feed you the extra drinks. I'll run along side you as you cycle home and make sure you get back ok. And then I'll need to crash on your porch for the night.

Anonymous said...

"An ounce of respect is always worth more than ten pounds of gold."
--Traditional Scottish proverb.

Great post. Amazing how one's friends can keep you going when times are rough, dour, et cetera.

Might want to check out Confederates in the Attic after yr. done with the Shaara book, if available on your side of the pond.

Pax,
SA

Kimberly McKay said...

Family is everything isn't it? I'm so happy you're so blessed. This is a great post!

Sitting In Silence said...

I so love this post....It's just beautiful...

Thanks for sharing it !
How's the book going ?
oxoxo

Rock Chef said...

Terri - Wise? No one has ever called me that before! Thanks. So Ali would then have video of my riding away with you runnning after me - that would be fun viewing!

Sonny Amou - I like that proverb, it is very true. Will look out for that book, thanks for the pointer.

wornoutwoman - Thanks, glad you liked it.

Sitting in Silence - Thanks. The book? Well I had been showing it off to my drinking buddies and left it behind when I left, so one of my friends is reading it until I can get to collect it! Doh!

m said...

It is so nice to hear from a man who's been married for a long time that he is still in love with his wife. It is so rare these days, and sometimes I feel very jaded about marriage. Reading this gives me some hope that someday I'll find the same thing!

Um Naief said...

"joy and terror of being a parent"... yes, indeed. most interesting how these two can go together every day!

now w/ having a child, I can not imagine losing a child. you, your wife and family are very strong, and I admire all that you do to celebrate her life and the life you had w/ her.

love is a wonderful thing... i'm glad i still get butterflies. i hope they never stop. i wonder what it'll be like when we have to have 'the talk'!! :)

true friends... you know, i think i have better friends online (blogger) than i have in real life. i lost so many when i made the decision to move here and marry my husband... but i guess they weren't true friends after all!

whiskey and wine... hmmmm... that sounds like a really bad headache to me!

Rock Chef said...

Mindy - Thanks - and I certainly hope you find that perfect guy very soon! (if you haven't found him already, of course! ;-) )

Um Naief - It is sad that you lost friends because you moved away. But as you say, they can't have been true friends. But you have us blogger friends now - there is no getting rid of us! :-)

Teresa said...

I know I commented on this post...but I don't see it anywhere. UGH!!

Anyway, loved this post! I love how you love your family...it's so encouraging and to see such a strong family is so refreshing!

Rock Chef said...

Logzie - That happens to me sometimes too - usually what I have written something really good and can't quite remember after it vanishes into cyberspace! Thanks!