Plus

Dear Jason,
This past year, there were pluses.
And there were minuses.
And then there were minuses that divided us.
But through it all, it added up to another blessed year.

Rewind back ten plus years and the pluses outnumbered the minuses.
Or at least it seemed to outshine them.
It was only a matter of time that the minuses started to multiply.
And eventually overshadowed the pluses.

Day by day, year after year, the minuses divided us.

It took its toll. On you, on me, plus three.
It got to a point where I saw our three baby girls as added weight to my unhappiness and subsequently ours.
Some days it felt like you versus me versus three.

When things got really hard for us, our “happy place” was anywhere else but here.
The grass may be greener, but if you choose to nurture and love the soil you are on, rain or shine, it will be the greenest.

We had our share of highs, lows and uncertainties that were out of our control. We will continue to face these uncertainties, but what’s certain is that we will always be faced with a choice.
We can turn a minus into a division or we can turn it into a plus. It’s how we choose to see it and live it.

Happy 40, plus one! Here’s to life on the plus side.
There’s comfort in knowing that you will always and forever be my plus one, rain or shine.
And in the storms, we are not meant to be divided.
You plus me plus three is stronger, better and the greenest place to be.

In your 41st year, may you start each new day with plus one reasons to be grateful to wake up to another sunrise.
And when you just can’t see the sun, remember The One who gave us plus three reasons to keep breathing and to keep loving for plus one day.
J