Wednesday, August 16, 2006

It Is His Birthday....So Why Do I Get The Best Gift?

I've spoken before about being given gifts that I have in no way, no how earned or maybe even deserved, and I'm here to tell you it has happened yet again!

46 years ago this Friday, a woman I didn't even know was in the process of bringing into the world one of the greatest gifts I would ever receive: The PO. What is even more amazing about the nature of this particular gift, was that even though he was being delivered for me and had been created for me, I had not yet been born myself! Everyday, every single day, I am overwhelmed, shocked, and awed by the amazing wonder and simple beauty of the plan that GOD has for each and everyone of us. To think that even before HE chose to send me to this glorious planet HE had created for us, HE decided to send me a gift to be here to welcome me more than 20 years after my arrival. AND OH WHAT A GIFT HE, MY PO, HAS TURNED OUT TO BE!

For 20+ years, we have been friends; checking in with each other over the years to catch up on our lives and share our triumphs, sorrows, and anything else that happened to fall out of our spirits. For the first time in all that time, we both found ourselves single at the same time this year and decided to get together just because we wanted to see each other and hang out. Who knew the spark would still be there, just as strong as it was when we first met? Since that short visit, he has traveled to see me or I he 5 or 6 times, and each time, things feel even more right than they did the last time. Some might say that we are moving toooooo fast into the unknown. I personally believe that we both realize that we are simply returning home.

Following my release from the hospital, the PO came and spent a week during which I never lifted a finger to do anything for myself. He cooked breakfasts, and made lunches, and prepared dinners, not only for me but for my family as well. He cleaned the kitchen when needed before cooking and cleaned it again afterwards too. If I made a move to get off of whichever sofa or bed I happened to be lying on during that time to get myself some juice or a snack or whatever, the PO would insist on getting it for me reprimanding me for my audacity as he went. Hell, I believe he would have gone to the bathroom for me if he could have (LOL!).

The storms that passed through town the week of the transplant surgery did significant damage to several of the trees in my yard. Without being asked and without any hint of a suggestion that he should from me, the PO took it upon himself to cut up and remove the tree debris from my yard. Keep in mind, that I have a HUGE teen-aged son and come from a large family with many men available to cut up trees if necessary. Unlike so many men, he never suggested Ryan should go out and clean up the yard; my PO took it upon himself never even asking for anyone to assist him, though I did send Ryan out to help when I realized what the PO was up to. I felt like the proverbial "damsel in distress", being rescued by her very own "knight in shining armor". Excuse me if any of you fellow liberated women of the new millenium feel I am setting women back a thousand years, but let me just say, that there is NOTHING sexier than a man who loves you doing back-breaking manual labor on your behalf for no other reason than the fact that he loves you. Even if I do cause the downfall of the movement itself, I'll take it!!!!

On the last night of his visit after we had spent the evening at an Earth, Wind, and Fire concert (that I'll never forget and he knows why ;), the PO came through again. My brother gave us a small scare causing us to rush him to the hospital ER about 11pm where we remained until about 3am when they informed us that they would be keeping my brother overnight. When my brother phoned two and a half hours after we had gone to bed to say he needed to be picked-up, my PO got up and dressed and went to pick him up. Though I had told the PO that he should stay home and get some sleep since he was leaving the next day he insisted on coming with us saying that he wouldn't have my brother thinking he didn't care about what was happening to him. And even though we had just gone to bed less than 3 hours before, he insisted on driving to pick my brother up even though there were other people available besides myself who could have done it. Oh my..... Could it really be that finally Ms. Just Write Now might actually be with someone who can make her feel Just Right Now?

The time that the PO spent with me following my surgery was probably the most trying time period I've experienced in as long as I can remember. If you ask me, he has experienced me at my worst as far as I am concerned. Typically the "leader, organizer, ring-leader, mastermind" in any situation, I was a basic wreck. Instead of being put off or run off by the me that was so far from the me he usually visited, my PO stepped up and became the rock I needed to get through my storms. THAT, I will never, ever forget. THAT for me was the best gift I could have received as I've always said that the one and only thing I ever wanted was to have someone who even if he could not fix my problems, would be willing to stand and hold my hand while I faced my problems. In the PO, I seem to have been blessed enough to find both!

So, to his mother who I have since met, I say "Thank You!". To all those who nurtured him along the way and turned him into the nurturing man I am privileged to love, I say "Thank You!". Even to the women who he loved before me; those who filtered through the crap of his youth and then gave him up just in time to be just right for me, I say "Thank You!". But most of all, to GOD, I say "Thank YOU! Thank YOU for loving me so much that you created my PO for me to love!".

To my PO, I say "For 20 years I have loved you, and now I have been granted the profound blessing and honor of having fallen in love with you as well. You have been my friend for almost as long as I can remember, and now you are my love. You have proven your comittment to me and my family in more ways than I can count, and and thus we all love you and you are a part of us. You make me feel like the African Queens from which I am descended every single day. In my eyes, you are the man who is not perfect, just perfect for me that I spoke of in "this post" , months before you and I reconnected. To put it simply:

YOU ARE A GIFT AND YOU BRING ME JOY!
How I hope I do the same for you.
Happy Birthday Baby, I have planned many surprises for this day and I hope you enjoy each and every one of them because you are a KING and deserve to be treated as such!
I LOVE YOU ALWAYS, Sharon
PS: Max Loves You Too!



8 comments:

chele said...

Beautiful tribute.

You have not set any kind of movement backwards, girl. Us independent women CRAVE a man who can take charge. I love watching my man cutting down trees, or fixing the garage door or painting my bedroom. I absolutely love it! Nothing sexier than a man being a man.

LadyLee said...

Dang Sharon, you Microphone Queen...

The platinum and diamond encrusted microphone EXPLODED into a gazillion pieces after that tribute...*crickets* dropping dead all over the place.

Damn... you made this Oldgirl shed a freakin' tear with this one!

Thanking the man's mama, and the old girlfriends... oh my!!

Now if THAT didn't make the PO feel special, I don't know what would...

*LadyLee wiping tears*

You know we've talked... and I can hear it all in your voice, homegirl... I could hear it in your voice on the phone... I saw it a mile away...

Ahhhh... The Oldgirl's in Love...

And I know it was worth waiting for...

Really though.

Amazing tribute...Exceptional post, as always!

~LL

DJ Diva said...

Love blossoms again! Happy birthday to your Love Sharon...It is the most blessed feeling when your love celebrates another year of life...and how much more special that you are together to enjoy it. Almost 3 months ago I had that same jublilation and now May 30th is one of my most special days because that's when Scribe came into the world. I now know what it's like when a man gives his all from the very start...and you do too lol....I knew it was your season...didn't I tell you that a few months back...Ok enough with the I Told yousos...I am just so happy I got it right....and so happy for Ms soon to be Mrs Just Right Now....

Happy Birthday PO....May you have many more....

KEITH O JOHNSON said...

Ain't life wonderful when a man just represents as only a real man can???!!!! I'm happy for both of you.

KEITH O JOHNSON said...

PS... did you get your Terisa Griffin cd yet? If so, did you like it?

Anonymous said...

If anyone deserves this gift, it's you. You seem to be such a giving person...kidney, hello!:)

I love it when a man does his thang!

Serenity3-0 said...

I'm glad to see you are back up for writing. I'm happy to hear that you are happy. And Max is cute!

Anonymous said...

Look2Him,

I wish you and the P.O. the best of luck. I think we all know that he's the lucky/blessed one. After all you have the P.O. and he has the Pharmachist. I'm sure the P.O. is hoping the you'll fill his prescription. :)

slh