Wednesday, October 15, 2008

October Ovation: Who Do You Most Admire?



OCTOBER OVATION (The brainchild of Barrie Summy)

I gave some thought to writing about Eleanor Roosevelt or Charles Darwin or Jonas Salk, but they're people I only know from a distance. I don't really know the kind of husbands or wives or fathers they were. A few months ago I might have chosen John Edwards, for Pete's sake.

So I am picking the person I know best in the world and the one I admire most,
my husband. In the 41 years we've been married, he has never said one mean word to me. I have never gone to bed angry or hurt over something he said or did. He has worked hard every day of our lives and was the best father imaginable. He was chair of the PTO, coach of the Little League teams, room-parent every year. He drew pictures with my daughter, threw the ball with my son and read to them both and now lavishes the same care on our grandson. He attended every event in all of our lives.

For the last five years, he has helped me care for my parents with little complaint. He drives me to their apartment at least once a week, does many errands for them and for me, bucks me up when I'm down.


He has written thirteen books, fifty articles and won many awards for his teaching and research. He respects his students and never complains about teaching, grading papers, keeping office hours, a rarity among professors.


He cooks our dinner every night, plants a wonderful garden every year, never blames me for earning very little money over the course of our marriage. He reads every word I write and always proclaims it wonderful. I truly can't think of a single person I have ever known or read about that I admire more than my husband.

How was I lucky enough to find this guy at seventeen and marry him at nineteen?
And it's his birthday this week! If he sounds too good to be true, I've painted him right. Happy Birthday, Phil. Check out Barrie Summy for more October Ovations.

27 comments:

debra said...

Happy birthday to him, and happy loving days to you. Thank you for a lovely post, Patti.

David Cranmer said...

What a wonderful post and cheers to a great marriage. Nice photo of you two in the garden.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Ha David. Not our garden. It's Kukenhof (sp?) in the Netherlands. He's a good gardener but we have a postage sized English garden. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Lovely post. He definitely sounds admirable to me! :)

angie said...

Hooray for fab spouses! Enjoy your hubby's b'day...I'm sure he's just as great 'n groovy as you've portrayed him.

pattinase (abbott) said...

He is! Thanks.

Travis Erwin said...

Great post. Sounds like both of you are lucky to have found each other.

Anonymous said...

Hi Patti
Forty-one years! That's awesome, congratulations to you both.
Rafe

pattinase (abbott) said...

Thanks, guys. Most teenage marriages don't work so we were lucky.

Patti said...

you have a husband like i do...isn't it wonderful!

Terrie Farley Moran said...

God's blessings for a long and happy life to you both. Terrie

Ray said...

All the adjectives have been used by I found this piece absorbing.

By the by if you want to use my piece on the book 'The Leather Boys' feel free to do so.

Gabriele Goldstone said...

But he had you! I'm sure that had something to do with it.

Kelley said...

I've read almost all the ovations and this is my favorite.

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

Happy birthday to your hubbie. A great post - I bet he's blushing after reading it. I liked this post I think I'll do an October Ovation post too. Oh and RE: YOUR COMMENT ON MY BLOG - yes please use the review for Friday's books.

Oh and tell your hubbie I'm looking for a gardener. lol

Barrie said...

Now, THAT is a tribute! Happy Birthday, Phil! And thanks for joining in, Patti.

Shari Green said...

What a wonderful man! And lucky, too, to have someone like you who so obviously loves and appreciates him. :)

Amy said...

Happy Birthday to Phil! He sounds wonderful and I could only be so lucky to find someone like that. :) Take care!

pattinase (abbott) said...

Thanks for all your wonderful comments. I'm printing them off as a birthday card for Phil.

Larramie said...

When you mentioned John Edwards, I wondered about your judgment of character, Patti, but even still in your teens your recognized the perfect man.

Happy birthday to him and congratulations to both of you.

pattinase (abbott) said...

It was luck in my teens. Sheer good luck. Maybe it always is.

Jason said...

Here's to a great marriage. Happy Brithday to him, and thanks for a great post.

Patti L said...

Happy Birthday to Phil, and I blatently copied your Ovation, and gave mine for 2008 to my husband also. It's on one of my new blogs:
http://pattispeopleandplaces.blogspot.com/

I'll let Barry Summie know too. It's a wonderful idea, one I home to do again next year.

pierre l said...

Well done on the long happy marriage. And a happy birthday to him. This was a really lovely post.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Thanks, Pierre. How goes it with you?

pierre l said...

Thank you Patti -- I am fine. I have just fallen behind with my reading. I promise to read your future posts more promptly, and leave comments.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I'm very glad to hear from you.