Sunday, June 20, 2010

the natural

i had always known you were a man of integrity
a kind , gentle and loyal man
but during Gregg's illness
i saw a man with a self-less heart for others
a man who would lay down his life for those that he loved

when Gregg was sick
& often felt too poorly to interact with the girls
you would sit on the floor for hours
crayons
barbies
tea parties
you would be Demetri while Savannah was Anastasia
you melted all of our hearts

a few years after Gregg's passing
our friendship deepened



i remember the moment i fell in love with you
sadly , we were attending the funeral of one of the most amazing women
Carol St. Clair
i was so broken hearted that she had passed
you went with me to the funeral
the first funeral i had attended since Gregg's death
tender & protective
you knew my heart was reliving all the grief from a couple years prior
i felt so safe with you






when we married
you became an immediate daddy
to three little girls
all four of us, completely smitten
you were a natural
you never skipped a beat
& i don't think they did either

i think the greatest character quality you have
is that you show the girls & i
the tender heart of God
slow to anger
quick to forgive & quicker to mend
strength & gentleness all wrapped up in 6 foot 4
loyal
& selfless
thank you for telling me you love me 734 times a day
for cleaning dishes after every meal
& mailing me love letters
for taking me to my favorite place in the world, every year
for living in home full of white furniture, white towels & white sheets
for never leaving the toilet seat up
or dirty clothes on the floor
for agreeing to take me out to eat when i don't feel like cooking
& letting me choose where we'll go

sweet dan, thank you for saving your heart & your soul for me
i don't deserve you

i'm truly convinced
that when we are all up in Heaven
Gregg's gonna give you a big high five
& thank you for raising his 3 baby girls
no finer man
you
the natural

allofmylove2you













happy fathers day sweet man
& happy fathers day to my own dad
thank you for loving mom for the last 45 years
& for raising me in a godly loving home
you were the first man to show me a loyal heart
& a steadfast love for the Lord

happy fathers day to pop pop
who was married to sweet grammy for 52 years
a kinder gentler man i have never known
i think my sweet dan learned everything he knows
from you

i love you guys!
xo

(for those of you who aren't familiar with my story...i lost my first husband , gregg to cancer. a few years later dan & i married. gregg & i had three girls. they were each under the age of 3 when he passed away. dan & i married and we had caroline. dan adopted my three girls. he has always been daddy to them. they are blessed to have the godly heritage of two wonderful men. one biologically & one by choice. but loved immeasurably by both men)

43 comments:

  1. What a beautiful tribute. Tears in my eyes. Sowonderful you found love once again. Your daughters are beautiful.

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  2. beautifully written! i am wiping away tears. thank you for sharing.

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  3. beautiful.
    I love Greg also;-)
    Have a wonderful day Paige with your family.
    xo

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  4. Oh my friend you write so, so beautifully....You are always in my thoughts...You deserve all the happiness in the world....

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  5. What a sweet post! I didn't know I would be crying first thing this morning! You are soooo blessed!

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  6. So beautiful Paige...you are the best writer!! What beautiful blessings in your life!

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  7. What a beautiful post paige. A fairytale love.

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  8. Ahh, what a wonderful reminder of how great our God is! I just love that He knew you would need Dan and He provided such wonderful love for you after heartbreak. Your family testimony is just precious!

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  9. Oh, geez... where is the kleenex. So moving! Your story is beautiful ~ I felt your pain and your joy. Have a wonderful day. xo

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  10. Paige you are the sweetest and obviously so is your dear Greg! Love ya...have a great Father's Day!
    ~hugs~

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  11. ohh paige... i am wiping away the tears... beautifully written... i hope to one day meet this amazing man you speak so kindly of... take care!

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  12. Paige! You have a way with words and this is beautiful! I hope you and Greg have an enjoyable Father's Day.

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  13. tears!
    so happy that the Lord had that planned all along.

    xo
    HH

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  14. That hubby of yours is such a special man. How lucky his girls are to have him!

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  15. You have a touching and lovely story. I am so happy that you found love with someone else and your girls a father after losing their own so young.

    I used to work with a man who had 4 daughters. He used to tell me he was "ruled by the petticoats".....and he loved every minute of it.....

    Chania

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  16. Beautiful, beautiful post, Paige. You have me in tears! What a very special man you have!!

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  17. what a beautifully heartbreaking and healing love story. i love how God works...

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  18. Paige...you are so beautiful and you write so beautifully...loved it and hope you had a happy day!

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  19. Oh Paige...you made me cry. Your love story and BOTH of your beautiful hearts are so inspiring. Dan sounds like such an incredible husband and father!!!! lots of love,
    Kim

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  20. So, so sweet.....You are so blessed:) Such a beautiful tribute to all the father's in your life!

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  21. happy fathers day to your amazing man. beautiful tribute paige. i just love reading your posts. they always lift me up to a higher place. love ya!

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  22. Your fella sounds like good people to me.
    Greg would most definitely approve....I just know it. Besides himself, who else could be such a wonderful father to his girls and to Miss C?
    Good catch girl.

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  23. That was such a sweet post! Beautifully written :)

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  24. Paige, Once again you have blessed me with your tribute to your husband! It is such a beautiful story! April

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  25. This may actually be the sweetest post I've ever read. And I do mean, of all the blogs and posts I've ever read. Your story is incredible and never ceases to remind me that God is so completely in control of orchestrating each one of our lives and the steps we take in it. You are such an encouragement. Thanks for sharing your precious story.

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  26. This is beautiful! Your girls are lucky to have such a legacy.

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  27. Paige ~

    Your heartfelt words and love for your family always brings tears to my eyes. So deep, caring, and filled with joy...a life so lovingly deserved.

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  28. Paige, the first post that I ever read of yours was the one about how Dan came into your life and I was in tears then and am in tears, now. It takes a very special man to marry a woman with little ones and embrace that life as if he were made for it.....Which he obviously was! You write in the most heartfelt way and it is always a joy to read your beautiful and {not so simple!} thoughts. Thank you for your kind comments at P&H; I am now feeling in step with Savannah's rhythm ~ this is a city with a soul : ) as
    I'm sure you know. Happy Monday!
    PS: Love these sweet pictures, too!

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  29. No matter the journey. You are blessed.
    I have admired all these men as I stood afar and smiled.
    Thank you Men for loving some of the most precious people in my life!

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  30. You have the most amazing story....and I too was at Carol St. Clair's funeral....such a small world. I was a friend of her daughter's, Katie..

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  31. very sweet and touching. You are blessed.

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  32. My Gosh Paige, could you have written anything more touching? I believe God saved Dan for you and your girls. He was meant to be in your family. I love how He works that way.
    Dan the Man, that is what I will call him, what a guy!!!! Sounds like he is what all women wish for in a husband and a father for their children. I can just feel the love you have for him all the way up here in the North! And girl, sounds like he is pretty much head over heals in love with you too! I LOVE that!!! I have a fabulous man in my life too, we are sure blessed women Paige! Gosh just go give him a big hug just for me will ya!!!! You made me get all mushy!! ( I love the part about the all white living, my Mark has taken some ribbing in the past about that too but he lets me do as I please, hee hee)

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  33. What a beautiful tribute to both of your husbands. You are truly blessed.

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  34. What a sweet post...Such a blessing to have such a godly legacy. How blessed you & your girls are to have experienced such godly love in your lives. Happy Father's Day Gregg & Dan. I'm thankful the Lord sent you and your girls such a sweet & godly man after Gregg went home to be with Jesus.

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  35. What a beautiful story of lives intertwined in love... thanks for sharing this with us.

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  36. the way your current family was knitted together is amazing paige. Father's day must be real special for you all.

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  37. Paige,

    Such a beautiful post...what a blessing. Thank you for sharing your sweet words with all of us.

    xo,
    Adrienne

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  38. Paige your love story is beautiful.May each day great you and your sweet family with a very warm embrace,
    xo,
    LuLu

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  39. My dear Paige...

    What a beautiful post. You never fail to make me cry when you share your love of your family. And I never tire of hearing the story of you and your sweet hubby. It so inspires me.

    Love to you and yours...
    Wendy

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