Once upon a time there was this guy...

                                                                                            Yep, he's  a tree hugger!

Today is my sweet husband’s birthday.

At the moment, he’s back home in The Valley making knives. This has been our life for the past six months or so. He heads over the mountains whenever he has knives to make.

It sucks.

I ain’t ganna lie.

We don’t get to spend as much quality time together; when he is here I’m in class, we are trying to get projects finished or stock up for his next absence. 

So I’m understandably bummed that I can’t cook him a special dinner tonight. Well, it probably would just be gravy and mashed potatoes, or biscuits. That man’s love of mashed potatoes and gravy is down right unnatural.

I never thought I could love someone so much.

Or be so frustrated with someone.

I’m not perfect, he’s not perfect and neither is our marriage. We are just human after all.

That said, AJ is an awesome person!

He is endlessly forgiving, kind and charitable. He goes out of his way to help anyone he can and is the ultimate peacemaker.

AJ has this big, kind heart that I can’t even understand. He is such a people person I feel like an absolute recluse compared to him! He has such a love of hospitality, we both miss being able to have company and look forward to when that will be possible again.

                                                                                                                                                       Mister Fix it man
Oh, and he is strong and can open jars and stuff.

Or put them on so tight there’s absolutely no way I’m getting them off without a hammer. I mean come on, no reason to go hulk on the pickles man!

I will never forget the day AJ fell off the cliff.

A number I didn’t recognize called, I answered figuring it was someone looking to buy eggs or chickens.

“Is this Emily, Andrew Swezey’s wife?”

“ ah… yes?”

“alright, here you go”

I had no idea what was happening, and then I heard AJ’s tearful voice and I new something must have been terribly wrong.

I can’t remember what he said first but it was something to the affect of this is bad and then he explained haphazardly what had happened.

The thing I will never forget is when he said “I’m sorry”.

It was so heart breaking, I could hear defeat in his voice. And fear. Two things AJ does not normally broadcast to anyone.

Thus started the most stressful, exhausting, confusing time in my entire life.

The fact that AJ is alive and walking with just a slight limp that's  only recognizable to someone who knew him before the fall is a miracle.

He fell on a rock in the base of a waterfall.

He could have hit is head, passed out and drowned.

He had a huge gash on his wrist that left a scar he will take to his grave.

A tiny bit either direction and it would have hit a major blood vessel or tendon.

God allowed for there to be two veterans at the waterfall who were able to immediately take care of him.

I shudder to think of what would have happened if AJ would have had to drag himself out of the pool. I don’t think the outcome would have been good.

Yes, he did break the neck of his femur bone.

But it healed. It healed with bed rest and a brace. Praise the lord.

It took months and months but he regained his ability to walk.

How easy would it have been for the accident to paralyze him?

I thank god every day that he allowed me to keep my sunshine for a few more days, that he can still walk and has full use of his body.

My god is good and I am so woefully inadequate to all the tasks at hand.

Oh great, now I’m crying. Gezz Lousie!

I did nothing to be worthy of the great guy I have. I did nothing to be worthy of god’s amazing grace that day, and I’m sure if you asked AJ he would say the same thing.

Happy Birthday sunshine, 
        may you light the darkness for many years to come.

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