22 years...

Today is a rather important day in the life of my little brood, as 22 years ago this evening my wife and I were married.

I'm a bit ambivalent about it, but not for the reasons you'd likely suspect.

On the one hand, anniversaries are always special. They stand out from the regular hodge podge of everyday days, the routine run of workdays, school pickups and soccer practices, the drudge of grocery shopping, laundry and post-dinner dishes.

On the other hand, I almost didn't make it to 22. I'll get into the details another time, but the unplanned speed bump that life threw at us this past year taught me - and us - that every day is special. That the morning rush to school and work is memorable in its own right, that grocery shopping is a tremendous excuse to go on a date, albeit an unconventional one, and post-dinner dish-washing gives you a chance to slow the day down and hold onto it for a little while longer

I've learned that time, in any form, is an incredibly precious thing. And when you risk losing the privilege of getting more of it, you tend to change the way you look at things that most others would simply dismiss.

So, yes, today is an incredibly special day for us all. For me, because I'm lucky she chose me and has put up with my obvious quirks for far longer than any human ought to. For our kids because they wouldn't be here otherwise, and I can't imagine a world without them, without their spirit. For Debbie because, chaos and all, I think she likes being the rock at the centre of the delightful adventure that is us, the little, tightly woven and never-boring family that we've created. Day by day. Day by special day.

As we have done previous years, today we're taking the day to just...be. And when tomorrow breaks, I know she'll find a way, routine and all, to make it special, as well, to make the time just as precious as she's made every other day we've been married.

Because of all the things I find amazing about her - too many to share here, but you'll have to trust me on that one - it is her sense of treasuring the little gifts of life and taking the time to drink in the small moments that never fails to stop me in my tracks, sigh, and wonder what I must have done to deserve all this. And her.

I may never know the answer to that one. But as long as I'm given more days with her, I'll continue to follow her lead by stopping myself and squeezing every last bit of joy out of every moment we've been given.

I've had 22 years of joyful moments thanks to her, and you'll forgive my selfishness if I keep hoping for more years, more days, more moments, just like them.

Happy anniversary, sweets. Thank you seems inadequate, but it'll have to do for now.