My Hero

            My husband Keith is the one standing in line holding the book titled American Heroes.  The book was written by Oliver North and he was in our town doing a book signing.  Keith is waiting to get his book autographed.  As I stood looking at this picture one day taken by one of his friends, I thought, that man, my husband, is my hero.

            Keith was 29 years old when he married me, an extremely shy 19 year old who only had a high school degree and didn’t know what I could offer him. I had always wanted to be a wife and mother.  As far as I knew, that was my only calling.  This man trusted enough to take me as his wife and the future mother of his children.  What faith!  My hero!

            In the 80’s when we married, up until now, 2011, the norm seemed to be two-income households.  This was not for me or him.  Not because I was lazy.  I’m a hard worker. We just did not want  to become dependent on what money I would make and then me be stuck working the rest of my life.  Call us old fashioned, but for our household we wanted the husband to earn the bacon  and the wife to cook it. I am a homemaker through and through.  I love to be home, to decorate, to cook, although as I get older, eating out looks better and better.  And most importantly, we wanted me to be home to take care of those future children of ours.

            For many years we lived paycheck to paycheck.  It was ten years before we bought our first house.  We never went without the basics though.  Keith never pressured me to go to work to make things easier on us and I love him so for that.  I love him for being so diligent and faithful for getting up every day and going to his job to provide for us.  He always had the faith that God would provide. He is my hero for that.

            Like many young couples, we allowed our credit cards to get out of hand.  We said in the beginning we would never allow that to happen, but slowly the debt crept up on us.  When we realized what we had allowed to happen and that only making the minimum payments, which is all we could do, was not going to get them paid off, Keith took us to our back step, sat down, and we repented for not being better stewards, asking the Lord to show us how to get out of debt. We had two little boys at home, and Keith knowing my desires, still never asked me to get a job.  The Lord was faithful once again and provided Keith with a 12 month contract job in Denver, Colorado.  We were living in Oklahoma at this time.  The money was so good from this job, we knew we would be able to tackle the debt.  It took sacrificing on all our parts.  The boys and I had to stay behind because of commitments and Keith had to live alone in Denver for a year.  He came home one week-end a month.  It was wonderful when he came home and so hard when he left.  Our younger son, Christopher, would cry every time, but after a few days we were back into a routine.  Keith was my hero for being willing to take on a new job so far away.  I know it was much harder on him than it was for us.  The boys and I were still together, still in our home, surrounded by our friends.  Keith was in a new town, new job, new people, and living in a tiny, efficiency apartment. He knew he would have to look for another job when he came back home for good. He never complained, always having a good attitude.

            We were diligent and the cards got paid off one by one.  We decided we would never charge again.  We adopted the idea my dad always had which was to pay cash for everything, and if you couldn’t pay cash, you didn’t need it.  Or else, save until you have the cash for whatever it is.  This is such a freeing way to live.  I actually had people tell me that you could not live that way in this day and time.  Well, we’ve proved them wrong. It’s been well over fifteen years and we are doing just fine.  I believe it is all a matter of priorities.  And learning to say no instead of always thinking I want this and I deserve it.  We don’t deserve anything in this world.  God taught us lessons during this time, me the lesson of contentment when it came to things that Denver year.  What ever God allows me to have, I learned to be so thankful, and if I whined internally about wanting something and I didn’t get it, I felt like I was saying that God was not taking care of me, or what he gave me was not enough.  I didn’t want to be that way.  Keith has always let me learn my lessons in my own time, or I should say in God's timing and ways, and has never tried to help God in dealing with me.  Keith just always has loved me and lets God do the work in me. My hero!

              When I became convicted to homeschool our children, Keith backed me up all the way and did so for the next fourteen years.  My hero!  He has always been there for our boys, helping with the diapers and feedings in the baby years.  He played with them and taught them as toddlers.  He provided adventures for them as they grew into bigger boys.  He provided them with a stable, secure, loving home, letting them know they were safe and loved. He was a model for them that I prayed they would emulate one day.  My hero!  He gave them one of the greatest gifts a father can give his children; he loved their mother and the Lord.

            Every time I have needed something done, fixed, worked on, and moved, Keith immediately goes right to work on whatever it is.  Like the time I was cleaning my house, getting ready to have several women in my home for the evening.  I put all my dining room chairs on top of the dining table so I could mop the floor underneath.  I accidentally banged the mop handle against the table, knocking one of the chairs backwards and landed right through the glass door of my grandmother’s hutch, shattering it to pieces.  I was sick!  This hutch had been in the family for years and never had anything happen to it.  I started crying.  My husband, who had been watching a football game at the time came over to me and said, “Don’t worry, I can fix it.”  He immediately left his game, measured the door, left for Lowe’s, had a piece of glass cut, came home, put the new glass in and it looked good as new.  The house got cleaned, and the women and I had a wonderful evening. My hero!                                                                                                        

Keith has never belittled me, talked down to me, or ever made me feel bad on purpose.  He has always been there to comfort me, listen to me, has provided for me, does things for me.  Like the time I was suffering the indignities of a sick body.  I was so sick for hours in the night that I was crying and totally exhausted.  I was on the bedroom floor shaking and feeling really sorry for myself.  I was not a pretty sight, and sure I didn’t smell too pretty, but Keith got on the floor and held me in his lap and rocked me until I could quit shaking .  He then cleaned up the mess never saying a word to make me feel bad.

When our oldest son left, becoming the prodigal, I had many more melt downs, one being severe just as Keith walked in from work one evening.  He immediately came over where I was, got down on the floor in his dress work clothes, scooped me up onto his lap, and rocked me until I could stop crying and settled down. He was hurting too, but stayed strong enough to make it to work everyday and then come home to comfort me. During this time, when I was weak, he was strong.  When he was weak, I was strong.  He let me be there for him during those few weak moments and showed strength by letting me comfort him. My hero!

 The only thing I truly longed for from him was to open up more about spiritual matters. My husband is a quiet man.  The quote, "still waters run deep" describes him well. I would go to my prayer closet many times about this over the years.  I have learned that God will either answer with a yes, no, or wait.  I didn’t know at the time, but this was a “Wait” answer.

                         When our son Tim left at age 18, it felt like my world fell apart.  Keith’s was too, but he was my rock.  He came through in a way that I had prayed for so long.  He became convicted that we as a couple were to hit the floor on our knees, praying to our Savior, our General to fight this war and to help us fight in whatever way He saw fit.  We’ve prayed on our knees side by side for the last three years and will  continue to until death do us part. My dear husband is strong in every way, and loves me, a sinner saved by grace.  He has loved me with an everlasting love all the years we've been together just like my Savior.  Jesus Christ is my Lord, Keith is my husband who loves with a Christ like love.
                       I was truly blessed when God brought Keith into my life.  As of today, June of 2011, we have been married 29 years.  We will celebrate our 30^th in October.  The book Keith is holding is about war heroes.  In my life story, Keith, my husband, is my hero.

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