Super-Secret AoM Link

Hi there, AoM Readers!

Here are each of the 52 love notes I penned for my awesome wife. If you feel like this is something you’d benefit from have at it! Heck, the possibilities are only limited by the borders of our joint awesomeness…

Your thoughts?

Josh

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Sarah, dearest Lover and Friend,

As I look back and reflect on this year, I can’t help but be overwhelmed by the impact you’ve had on me. You challenge me to be my best. Christmas is about recognizing the gifts in our lives, and  when I contemplate the gift of you, I am awed.

With all my love,

Josh

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To Sarah, my wife,

You are beautiful. You are gracious. You are elegant. You are talented. You are alluring. You are passionate. You are delicate. You are intriguing. You are worthy of so much more than I can give.

So I give you my heart. In it are my affections, and my dreams. You now possess all of my desire, hopes, and needs. I trust you.

With earnest sincerity,

Josh

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Sarah, my incredible lover,

I am compelled by you, filled with longing by your knowing, hungry glances. When a twinkle sparks in your eye and a smile tugs at the corners of your perfect mouth, I nearly lose control. The sound of your laugh, and the touch of your hand on my arm are dizzying.

You have such control over me.

Josh

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Dearest Sarah,

We’ve been through a lot – and we’ll encounter tougher times, too, of that I’m sure. When I try to imagine the difficult moments that lie ahead of us, I’m not afraid. My head tells me I should worry, but I don’t. It’s because of you. You see, I know you, and I know that if we are walking through together we’ll be alright.

You are my safe place.

Josh

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Dear Sarah

When I imagine your face, I am entranced by your smile, your eyes. When I imagine your body, I am enraptured by your smooth curves and elegant movements. When I imagine your voice, I am overwhelmed by your kindness, and your life. And yet, somehow, miraculously, you are more than even the sum of these incredible things.

You are my world.

Josh

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Sarah,

This life does not hold enough adventure, enough wealth, or enough mystery to pry me from your side. Nothing could ever make me leave you. You are my ultimate adventure. You are wealth. You are so mysterious and alluring, and I will die before I leave your side.

Overwhelmed,

Josh

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To my Best Mate.

I think some of my favourite moments have been our silly moments. We giggle together under the covers, I sprinkle cold water on you while you’re in the shower, you rib me when my words don’t make sense. We’re silly together because we’re totally comfortable with one another. We have the kind of comfort that is a result of total mutual acceptance.

It’s okay to be myself around you. And that is an amazing thing.

Josh

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Darling Sarah,

For all of my research, for all of the ideas I come across, for all of the information I sift through, I have yet to find anything that comes close to matching you. I have read countless books, seen countless movies, met and befriended countless people. Not a single one of those experiences even slightly resembles the complete joy, the utter satifsfaction, the total exhiliration of being your husband.

I love life because you’re in it.

Josh

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Sarah,

Shakespeare was a pretty great writer. He created some incredible stories of love, betrayal and love again. I’m confident that even he could not describe the types of feelings inside me. I am floored by you. My delight in you increases the deeper our love runs, the more intimately I know you, and the closer that we move together.

You are everything to me.

Josh

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To Sarah, my wildly attractive lover,

You ARE wildly attractive. You DO have a beauty that rages through me every time I look at you. Your voice DOES kindle a flame in my chest. And you’ve chosen to spend your life with ME?

I can’t believe how incredibly blessed you make me.

Josh

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Sarah,

You are my friend, lover, confidant, comrade, partner, buddy, ladylove, my main squeeze. You are my admirer, beloved, darling, sweetheart, my paramour. You are my soulmate, workmate, ally, sidekick, pal, chum, my homegirl. You are my champion, confederate, supporter, my associate in life.

You are my wife…. wow.

Josh

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To my wife,

Flowers fade, grass withers, money gets spent, daylight fades, and summer retreats before winter. But your love, it warms me. Your love turns over a new leaf inside me. Your love creates hope in dismal circumstances. Sarah, your love does amazing things.

Your love is my elixir.

Josh

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Dearest Sarah,

You are, my dear, simply indescribable. You are captivating, and no one can put that on paper. No personality test can capture your vitality. No psychological analysis could even come close to expressing your essence. But I know it. I couldn’t express it with words, but I feel it in my chest when I lie next to you. It flutters in my throat when you smile at me. It races through my veins when I feel your breath on my skin.

I know you, and I am in love.

Josh

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Sarah,

There is something about the night time that is so intoxicating. Silvery light and pinprick stars bathe the world in some kind of mysterious majesty. When we lie together under the starts, and I look at you, framed in the delicate light, I am overwhelmed.

Your beauty stirs emotion inside, and I could weep.

Josh

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To my wife and partner in crime.

The other day, I wanted to do something I thought would be adventurous. It was probably something sort of silly and insanely impractical – like selling our car and driving bikes everywhere, or relocating to Taiwan, or getting a massive tattoo. Any other person wouldn’t have even let me finish my sentence. But you, you listened to me. You let me share my silly and insanely impractical dream. You let me be me – and that is one of the reasons I love you so much.

I can’t believe how awesome you are.

Josh

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Sarah,

One of the things I like about you so much is that you really care about stuff. You engage with your world. You really want to make things better. So many people aren’t like you.

You drive me to be a better man.

Josh

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Sarah,

You, my dearest friend, are astoundingly, beautifully, pefectly intricate. Your spirit is gentle and honest. Your smile is mysteriously alluring. And your body… well – I could go on for days.

Yours,

Josh

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Lover,

Our moments of intimacy shine brightly in my memory. You are graceful, elegant, and beautiful. I can’t believe we’re spending the rest of our lives together.

Josh

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Sarah,

One of the things I like about you so much is that you really care about stuff. You engage with your world. You really want to make things better. So many people aren’t like you.

You drive me to be a better man.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

The dreams I have for us are only eclipsed by the love I have for you. You are incredible.

Forever yours,

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

You do strange things to me. Sometimes, in the quiet, I feel strangely overwhelmed with  how little of you I know. Yes, we’ve been married for years, and I’ve delighted in learning you, but it’s amazing how deep you are. There’s always something incredible inside of you.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

You make me feel okay about who I am. Your acceptance  of me is the single greatest example of God’s love in my life.

Thanks.

Josh

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Sarah,

Today I had an average day. Work was average, break was average and then everything took a sharp turn towards awesome when I got home. You were there.

Where ever you are is awesome. I love being near you.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

If we lived in the medieval times, I’d be a knight and fight other knights to prove my love. I’d find some dragons and slay them, and then I’d save a whole bunch of villagers. My deep fires of love would motivate me to do all sorts of jaw dropping feats of knight-dom.

Josh

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Hi Sarah!

You are, hands down, the absolute grandest thing. You change my life every time you whisper a word of encouragement in my ear. You change the trajectory of boring days. You make me capable of incredible deeds.

Thank you!

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

As I experience you, I want more of you. The more of you I get, the harder it is to imagine life with you. Without realizing it, I’ve built my world around your beauty and intelligence and spirit, and it looks amazing.

You are the cornerstone of my life, Sarah, and I am deeply in love with you.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

Somedays the kid(s) are very wild, and the kitchen is messy, and the weather sucks. On those days especially I love you, because you keep me from going insane. No matter how horrible things get (and I’m talking waaay more horrible than a messy kitchen) I always feel better because I know that we’re in this together.

Josh

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Sarah,

I love how great you are with the kids. I love how effortless you make looking jaw-droppingly gorgeous seem. I love that you can do things that few other wives can do.

You are my dream.

Josh

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Dearest Sarah,

If I spent a lifetime searching, I’d be hardpressed to find anyone as loving, supportive, and devoted to us as you. I could flip through the pages of dusty old books, and listen to scratchy vinyl records – and nothing I encountered would come close to the reality and purity of our relationship.

Thank you for being you!

Josh

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Dearest Wife,

You are a gracious woman. You are supportive, encouraging, and smart. You are inspiring, and you are honest. I love you for all of these things.

Boy, do I love you.

Josh

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Sarah,

I think back to our wedding day; most of it is blurry and surreal, but I do remember one thing with utter clarity. I remember hearing you say ‘I do’. I can see your lips pronounce the words, I can hear your voice settling in my ear, and I can definitely remember the surge of emotion that flooded me (which I handled in an extremely manly fashion).

No two words have ever meant so much to me.

Yours,

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

I know you hate it when I tell you that you’re perfect. But, I am compelled to say it: you’re perfect. Even in your delightful, quirky, intoxicating imperfection you are perfect. You’re perfect for me. I can’t imagine a pair of people who fit together as neatly as you and I.

It’s true, you know; you hate it, but it’s true.

Yours,

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

For as long as I can remember (even as far back as ‘Bambi’), I’ve been sensitive to suspense and tension in movies. Today, marital tension portrayed on screen is especially gut wrenching. I think it’s because I can’t handle the thought of something coming between you and me.

You are all there is for me, and I couldn’t be more content.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

A lifetime of adventure is only appealing if you’re with me. The heights of success are only tantalizing if you are beside me. The most meaningful experiences are only attractive if you are part of them.

Without you, life has no taste.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

Sometimes I wake up out of a nightmare convinced that I’m in bed alone, that our relationship was left in the fading shadow of my dream. And then I feel your warm stillness beside me, and as I hold you tight, the truth washes through me:

We’re doing life together.

Josh

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Dear Sarah.

I love every bit of you. I love your mismatched socks. I love your mischievous grin. I love your quirky affection for goats. I love your fondness for coffee. I love your taste in fashion. I love your ability to really listen. I love your hospitality. I love your quietness. I love your laugh. I love your everything.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

I remember our first fight so clearly. Neither of us really knew how to handle it, and it took a few hours to resolve, but we did it. We never give up on each other, and we’re a lot better at conflict resolution.

We’ve grown so much together, and I’m proud of us. Thank you!

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

We’ve got our whole lives stretching out before us, and it keeps getting better and better. Remember when people told us the first year would be the hardest? I think every year gets harder – but every year gets so much better.

We’re awesome together!

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

At times, I am very overwhelmed with what seems to be an insurmountable obstacle. I look at my faults, my struggles, my bad habits, and my lack of discipline, and I feel so discouraged. You’re always right there with me. Sometimes, you don’t even have to say anything. You just look at me with kindness and acceptance in your eyes. Sometimes you tell me that I need a nap and that everything will feel better in the morning.

And you know what? It always does.

I love you!

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

Thanks for teaching me how to drive stick-shift. As silly as I sometimes feel about the whole situation, you’re showing me so much more than how to drive manually. You’re showing me how to treat someone with grace and decorum. You’re showing me how to be patient in explaining basic concepts.

You’re showing me love.

Yours,

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

I know that I’m not Casanova, but you make me feel like him. I definitely know that I’m not Shakespeare, but you treat my love notes as though they were the most beautiful words ever penned. I know I’m not Romeo, but you are more gracious and charming to me than Juliet ever could be.

Thanks for giving me your heart. It is my most cherished possession.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

There’s a time in every man’s life when he comes to grips with who he is and who he is not.  That time is crucial and tenuous; in those delicate moments, his heart is being forged. The man who has an unwavering support through the process is blessed indeed.

I am such a man.

I love you.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

I’m really not sporty at all, and I joke about how manly I am (probably out of a perceived manliness deficit, actually). It’s hard for me to work out regularly (though I’m getting much better at it). Even though I know I need to lose more weight, you tell me you like my body.

I love hearing you say that. I feel sort of like a Viking, or a Roman soldier, or Rocky Balboa or something.

I love you!

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

You know that country song? It goes like ‘I don’t want to close my eyes, I don’t want to fall asleep, cause I’ll miss you, babe. And I don’t want to miss a thing’? That’s a great song. But sometimes, it just feels so good to drift off to sleep cradled in your arms. It’s one of my favourite feelings in the whole wide world.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

Thank you for indulging my wildly varying interests. Thanks for putting up with my sometimes arcane taste in music. Thanks for allowing me to use my ‘unique’ decorating style in our home. Thanks for eating my experimental meals. Thanks for actually liking it all, too!

You’re simply astounding.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

I’m impetuous. I fly by the seat of my pants. I make snap decisions. I dream up wild schemes. I say things that would scare the living daylights out of any normal wife. But you’re not normal. You’re so SO much better than normal. Every word, every glance, every giggle, every gesture, every smile, every single thing about you is extra-ordinary, above average, better than normal.

I don’t make this stuff up, Sarah.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

You have challenged so many of my preconceptions about life. You’ve changed the way I understand compassion. You’ve helped to stop listening to myself talk and start really hearing what other people are saying. You’ve realigned my priorities and reshaped my outlook on life.

Hands down, you’ve made me much awesomer.

Thanks!

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

I believe that God’s most powerful tool for change on this earth is the marriage relationship between a husband and wife. I believe that nothing reflects Christ’s sacrifice for us as deeply and enduringly as a married couple living sacrificially. I look at us, and I recognize the incredible, unmatched beauty of God.

Thank you for showing me the way, Sarah.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

Some people spend so much of their time searching for new life changing bits of information, or hunting for a glimpse of something profound. Some people, in a bid to somehow capture the ‘wisdom of life’ sacrifice family and relationships.

I look deep into your eyes and I discover that all the simple, profound truths to be had are hidden in our love.

Cheesy? Maybe.

True? You bet.

Yours,

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

I’m so proud of us; our friendship, the kindness we share between us, and the small sacrifices we make for one another that secretly mean the world to us. I’m so grateful to have found you, to be privileged to share this life with you.

You are the sum and source of my joy.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

You’re better for me than vegetables, exercise, or a balanced lifestyle. Those things are all fantastic and important – but without you, I feel like they’re pointless.

You are the great achievement of my life.

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

As we come upon a New Year, it’s wonderful to think back on all of the excellent experiences we shared. We were together through the highs, through the lows, and although we sure had our conflicts, our greatest strength is our unity.

You are the high point of my year, sweetie!

Josh

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Dear Sarah,

No matter how many times I tell you ‘I love you’, it never feels to be enough. I feel as though the deep affection and absolute commitment I have for you is far too great to be expressed through anything but a lifetime of  saying ‘I love you’.

That’s good, because a lifetime is what I have for you!

Josh