The Miller Memoirs: Happy Birthday

Monday, February 9, 2015

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Bryan!

I wish I could write a post that could describe in words how grateful I am for this man in my life. I really think marrying the right person is the biggest decision we make. A great deal of my happiness comes from my marriage to Bryan. I truly feel that we are a team. We are team as husband and wife, as parents, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and every aspect of our lives. Being a team doesn't mean that we don't disagree at times--we do, but when we do, we respect each other enough to listen and to work it out.

I have a little tradition that I do for Bryan on his birthday. My children find it quite annoying that they do not get the same privilege for them on their birthdays; however, I reserve this tradition for my best friend, and my best friend only. Each year as his birthday draws near, I celebrate by doing the 12 Days of Bryan. It is similar to the 12 Days of Christmas tradition. Twelve days prior to Bryan's birthday, Bryan receives a small gift celebrating him, and our love for him. Each year it is a little bit different form the year prior (just to keep him guessing), but obviously not too different (since this year he could guess some of what he was getting).

This year as I was delivering the 10th day to his work (10 Balloons with Messages of Why I Love Him), his coworkers were in shock over the 12 Days of Bryan. They teased and questioned me a bit as to why I do what I do. They were in so much shock that I took a moment to reflect on my reasoning for doing such a tradition. I actually questioned myself a bit. I thought things like: Am I being over the top? Is this too much? As I reflected I came to some conclusions: I know that Bryan would still feel absolutely loved and adored even if we didn't do the tradition. He doesn't expect us to shower him with gifts for 12 Days. And, although I know its not required, or even needed--I love expressing love to him. It is my way of expressing my gratitude for our marriage and for him in my life. I think as we show small acts of kindness towards one another, our love grows. This is just another way in which I am able to bind our hearts together for eternity. I have covenanted in a temple of God that I would keep this man for eternity. I think that eternity could be difficult if we didn't express love to one another, if we didn't take the time to build our relationship, if we didn't make our relationship a priority. Sure, doing 12 Days of Bryan takes time, and frankly--sometimes it is exhausting, but it is my way of taking time out of my busy schedule for the person who matters most to me. We are building a marriage one step at a time--nothing is over the top if it builds appreciation and love for each other, and that is exactly what I think it is doing!

We had a great day of celebration. Bryan and I went to lunch together, after work we went to dinner as a family, and then we had a Wii Tournament. We had so much fun playing together! I am so grateful to my husband. He is my best friend. He is my support.