Could you be the Wife of the Year?

Yesterday I got a call from an old friend, Marty. We met Marty and her husband John when we were all stationed in Memphis, TN together 15 years ago. They actually lived with us for a couple of months, then we went different directions. We're all out of the Navy now, and John and Marty live in Iowa with their two sons. So Marty called just to say hi yesterday, and told me that back in April, John had fallen (she didn't say how) and broken BOTH arms. He was in casts past his elbows, so he couldn't bend his arms. Can you picture this? He can't feed himself. He can't scratch his nose. He can't brush his teeth. He can't pull his own pants up! Now Marty is the queen of the sarcastic comeback, so I wondered how all this went. But as she talked describing their last few months, I was awestruck at what an incredible example of a help meet she is. John would get understandably frustrated - what man wouldn't? - and she could easily have been offended when he snapped at her. At one point, he fussed that she was pulling his pants up like a girl, and she said, "Hello, I AM a girl," but then asked how she should do it differently next time. She was consistently understanding about his predicament, how humbling it must be for a man, and she totally rose to the challenge. Her great character shone through. Their difficulties are not over - he has had one surgery already and may have more problems related to the original breaks - but I have no doubt Marty will continue to be the woman God expects her to be. She gets my vote.

Be thankful ~

Karen