I thought I knew what was important in life.

So God made you (and you and you) to show me what important looks, sounds, and breaths like.

I thought I knew how to recognize beauty.

So God made you (and you and you) to show me that beauty can look different and make you feel different each time you are in its presence.

I thought I knew what it meant to “work hard.”

So God made you (and you and you) to teach me what it means to give all your energy and effort to a task (or three), day in and day out, for many years.

I thought I knew how tired felt.

So God made you (and you and you) to remind me of my strength; physically, mentally, and in my faith.

I thought I knew what it felt like to experience overwhelm.

So God made you (and you and you) for me to recognize just how engulfed a person can become in their emotions.

I thought I knew how strong I was.

So God made you (and you and you) for me to recognize my weaknesses, improve upon them and persist in spite of them.

I thought I knew the significance of kindness.

So God made you (and you and you) to educate me on the dire need of compassion to be exhibited at all times, to all people, under all circumstances.

I thought I knew the power of forgiveness.

So God made you (and you and you), and I discovered that the hardest person to ever give grace to is the person who deserves it most often — myself.

I thought I knew what happiness was.

So God made you (and you and you), and I realized that any joy I felt before your arrival, though genuine and authentic, would never reach the depths of the bliss and merriment that I would feel living life with you by my side.

I thought I knew what growth was and what it felt like to improve.

So God made you (and you and you), and he did it so sweetly, and dare I say methodically, ensuring that every bit of the journey to get to you, and the ride with you ever since, has been marked by so much learning, evolvement, and self-acceptance.

I thought I knew what sacrifice was.

So God made you (and you and you) for whom I sacrificed my body and breasts and will eternally, yet willingly, forgo bits and pieces of my sanity, patience, brain power, and heart.

I thought I knew what love was.

So God made you (and you and you), and now I know how he feels about every one of us.