I love Jeramy because he is a man in every sense of the word. He is a mature gentleman who takes responsibility for his actions and willingly leads, provides a safe home and food on the table. He opens doors for me. He compliments me on my appearance. He makes his ideas, feelings, actions known to me and seeks my opinion also. He cooks and cleans. He kills the occasional roach and mosquito. He carries heavy things for me. He is strong and gentle. He has told me that meekness is controlled strength. He exhibits this very well. He bridles his tongue from harsh, negative words and complaining. He speaks the truth in love.
He is a strong believer who provides spiritual leadership in our family. He pursues Christ-like holiness and has always encouraged me in this also. He memorizes large portions of Scripture. He exposes the vanity of worldly philosophies. He has loved me and shown me forgiveness time and time again. He understands that love, faithfulness and perseverance go hand-in-hand - that they cannot be separated. He has taught me, by many proofs, that the universe is young (Answers in Genesis), that A.D.D. is not all it's cracked up to be (S-I-N). He confesses and repents when he has sinned. He shows me grace and does not separate the spiritual with the daily physical demands of life. Christ and His resurrection are real to him. He loves Christ more than He loves me.
Jeramy provides financial leadership, works very hard and sacrifices a lot. He left behind a cushy job as an Air Force Officer (Captain J.W. Anderson) as a single man for a ministry education with the responsibilities of marriage. He worked jobs well below his pay grade and sacrificed purchases he would have otherwise made in order that I might remain home. He has received ridicule and endured much disrespect from family, friends, coworkers and strangers. He painted houses. He laid tile. He cleared brush. He mowed fields. He risked his own life delivering smelly pizzas down Castor Drive and other bad neighborhoods receiving little to no tips. He scrubbed baseboards. And now he deciphers the foreign accents of hysterical individuals on the phone dispatching police officers as directed. And it's because of his efforts that we are debt free and remain debt free, even as we pursue buying our first home together.
Jeramy is a wonderful, loving, affectionate, involved father. He willingly changes diapers. He is actively involved in potty training. He celebrates milestones. He enjoys comforting the girls when they cry. He loves to just sit and rock with them. He makes faces, plays games, reads flashcards and feeds them. He bathes them and combs their curly, tangle-filled hair. He willingly stays home with them while I exercise or run errands. He is patient with them and is never harsh towards them. He disciplines them appropriately. He tells them often, "Daddy loves you."
The number one reason why I love Jeramy is because he first loved me. When I wasn't yet committed to him, he was willing to be committed to me. He considered me a virtuous woman (still trying to figure that one out) and ignored the reproach he would receive marrying a black woman. During our courtship he sought to keep us both pure sexually. In this way I knew that his love for me was genuine and not based on simply fulfilling physical desires. He initiated the hard conversations about lifestyle, finances, staying home, homeschool, foreign missions, birth control, family size, etc. He has defended and protected me. He writes love letters. He comforts me when I'm discouraged. He gives me neck, back and foot massages. And no matter how much I nag him and forget all of the wonderful benefits of being married to such a man - I can take comfort knowing that he will never leave me because it gets hard or run to the arms of another woman. He has made it very clear, because of Christ's example toward the Church, that there is no circumstance short of death where he would abandon me. He has taught me that love is not just a happy sentimental feeling when circumstances are good the the object of your affection is behaving benevolently - it is a die-hard commitment for another person. He has fleshed this out by his words and his actions in that even when we are not getting along he still tells me he loves me.
And there are many other things I could say . . . just know that he is the better half in this marriage.
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