The Best of Me

“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband…”

Proverbs 12:4


Ever since I had a stent put in my heart back in 2013 I have lived with a keen awareness that every day of my life is a gift from God and I should not take a single breath for granted. We are all shaped by the events of our life and that day changed mine forever. Having congestive heart disease I try to live with an understanding that any day could be my last day and to make sure I say and do what needs to be done before the day slips away and the world comes rushing in.

Out of my renewed awareness of the brevity of life my wife and I developed a little routine we go through once or twice, sometimes even a few times a day. I will ask her three questions. Most often I will ask her first thing in the morning before she goes to work at like 5:00 a.m., “have I told you that I love you today?” Regardless of what she says I say, “I do”. And then I will ask her, “have I told you that I adore you today?” Again I will say, “I do”. And finally I ask her, “Did I tell you that you are beautiful today?” And my response is always, “you are!” She never grows tired of hearing me say that to her and I for sure don’t in saying it to her each day.  

Thirty seven years isn’t as long as it sounds. In many ways it seems like yesterday we met and I fell in love with her. Ishtee, as I like to refer to her was created by God for me, my helpmeet as the Bible says. There is no question she is the best of me. Besides being my woman, she first and foremost is a woman of God. She is the mother of our children and a doting Oma to our grand babies. She is extremely talented in a variety of ways. She’s beautiful inside and out. She is intelligent, industrious and she dreams big. She has a wide variety of tastes and is adventurous and yet she is both a home body and a home maker. She is creative and loves constructing her many projects. She has a green thumb and enjoys cooking what she grows. She is strong and agile, athletic and fun loving. She enjoys playing games and loves to laugh. I like to refer to her as the total package. She has a passion for life and is thoroughly grounded in her faith. She is as the book of Proverbs teaches about a good wife, “the crown upon my head” and because of her qualities I have obtained the favor of the Lord throughout our married life.

Today is our anniversary but it’s also a day to celebrate the second best decision I have ever made in my life, and that being asking my wife to marry me. The first and most important decision any person can make is to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. That decision will impact us for all eternity. The second most important decision a person can make is who we will marry. That choice will ultimately lead to either a life of sorrow and pain or one of happiness and joy. Every marriage has its struggles and my wife and I have had ours but the good far outweighs the bad, the better more than the worse, and though we aren’t rich, we are far from poor and so far we have enjoyed more health than we have sickness. God has been very very good to me that’s for sure. When I look at my wife I see the grace of God in my life. She is God’s gift to me.

My wife and I invite your prayers for us on our anniversary and to join with us as we pray for marriages everywhere today. Remember, marriage is a gift from God, to be cherished and held in honor among us all. Today, July 9, 2020 I am aware more than in years past of the worth of my wife, and the value she is to me, and my need for and my desire of her. Covid-19 has wreaked havoc in all of our lives in many ways and yet it has also given us time to reconnect, an opportunity to hit the reset button as it were in our marriage and to remember why we fell in love so many years ago. Lee and I met at our church years ago. It was Jesus who bought us together and its no secret its Jesus who keeps us together, and today I thank God for the gift He has given me in my wife. Today, I hope she knows I love her, adore her and think she is beautiful beyond compare.


“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD.”

Proverbs 18:22  


I LOVE YOU!



Michael Osthimer

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