this weekend will be one the rare times that my wife and i will spend apart from each other because she'll be in las vegas at a vball tourney and i'll be at a youth retreat. a whole four days - that may well be a record for us. and of all the weekends, it's valentines. in the spirit of this hallmark tradition we've already exchanged gifts. but i was thinking all this stuff about relationships because it's the season and people have been asking (btw a deliteful convo jiffyji props to you) ... well, what attracted me to my wife?

i guess i could go on and on about her and it is good to be reminded and be 'in love' all over again. i confess it's easy to forget cause i could swear that at times her goal in life is to undo me. but i thought about who am i attracted to? what types of women?

i think that i have always been physically drawn towards strong spirited athletic women. tall but not waify (and i never thought as tall as my wife). i appreciate athletically firm bodies but not like all muscle (she can't be more manly than me). but on a deeper level, i look for those eyes of determination and discipline that at the same time are capable of being gentle, vulnerable and full of grace. that's kinda the look jennifer garner gives off in alias. so i get excited when people tell me that lauren reminds them of her. score me.

we tend to look for all these attractive qualites and the things 'we love' about a person. these things whet our appetites but at times have little to do with 'loving' the person themselves. i think people miss out on one important aspect of loving someone. i believe that one link is compassion. sounds strange but it's a question that determines whether you really love this person. no doubt attraction is important and it may be a considerable factor in our pursuit of a mate but it's a real love (*edit...not just "true love"...kirby) when you are able to look at the person not as an object or what they do for you but see through their eyes and understand the world that they live in, that in a sense you can live there with them. we no longer use our own eyes to see them but attempt to take a divine perspective, to see as God does. you share their thoughts and reach out to meet their needs. no one wants to be alone. it's amazing how many people are in deep relationships yet feel so alone. we can walk around busy streets or browse through stores and find many lonely people trying to fill an unquenchable void inside them.

i love this tall, strong, beautiful woman who i know truly loves me. i love her with all that comes along in doing so. ok simple enough. happy valentines day baby.

top5 female athletes i find groovy right now::
.....1. lauren cacciamani-tom :: hands down...need i say more? ok i will --
honors :: 1999 national player of the year | 1999 big10 player of the year | 1999 honda award | 2003 wife of the year ... and so on.
xtra links 1 | 2
.....2. logan tom :: 2000 national team | can they be be on the same list? well lauren prolly wonders how i even dare put this up. i like logan simply because i dig anyone who has tom for a last name.
.....3. lorrie fair :: philadelphia charge midfielder | 2002 national team
.....4. jennie finch :: softball, the "finch windmill" | 2004 national team
.....5. marion jones :: "fastest woman on earth" | 2000 olympics 5 medal winner | mom

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this weekend :: yoot retweet, no sleep till monday. must have caffeine...ok who's picking up the red bull? fuggetaboutit. it's all God. his strength.

posted by affectionate @ 2/12/2004 06:46:00 PM