Fast forward to late afternoon of the same day when I returned home after a day at ICU. Sean had already taken off to frisbee practice but he had left me an envelope on my desk that said, "Look inside". Inside the envelope was, you guessed it, the same butterfly wing that I had seen that morning. Amazingly, he had also seen it on the walk to the store and had somehow known that I would love it. It's times like that when I remember that the total years Sean's been in my life outnumber the ones that he hasn't.
I remembered the butterfly wing today as I completed a personality test that a good friend forwarded along and encouraged trying. I ended up being labeled as INFJ-T "Advocate" and the description of this personality type was eerily accurate. In the "Romantic Relationships" section the explanation reads, "Advocates will take the time necessary to find someone they truly connect with - once they've found that someone, their relationships will reach a level of depth and sincerity that most people can only dream of."
I read another article today about how to "raise a trailblazing daughter" and among the many suggestions the last one was, "Pray that they marry the right person." Eighty-three year old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg weighs in on some of the suggestions and adds that she would have never made it to the supreme court without her husband. "He sacrificed for me - moving from New York to Washington, for example, and getting rid of potentially lucrative investments that could have created conflicts of interest for me. Plus, he did all the cooking."
Married housing is located on the top floor of the all female dorm at ICU and I'm known as "Sean's wife" since I'm never there and if he's not working or playing frisbee Sean's always in the dorm using something in the communal kitchen or walking to and from the laundry room. I was introduced to a new Chinese dorm tenant and while trying to explain who I was and where I lived she stopped me and said, "You're married to Sean; we all think he is very kind and handsome." I get asked about our marriage all of the time and I usually try to explain Sean's ability to deal with my anxiety, mood swings, stress and subpar communication skills by the fact that he grew up with sisters and had to take care of his mom a lot while she was sick.
Truth be told, I don't know why or how Sean is the way he is but I'm thankful that he's in my life. A future filled with more butterfly wing moments makes me happy, relieved and incredibly grateful.
I love this post. :) You two are pretty incredible together.