I was a city girl studying at LSU when I noticed a country boy in Veterinarian school who always wore cowboy boots.
Our beginning should have been an indicator of the long list of “opposites” that we would accumulate in our relationship. They abound.
- I like all things crunchy, he likes all things gooey.
- Gary remembers half the quotes from a movie we watch, I can’t remember if I’ve even watched the movie.
- Gary grew up sitting in a boat on top of the water to fish. I grew up swimming like a fish while we played in the water. (He learned to swim after we got married, and even learned to water ski before he knew how to swim–brave young love!)
- I tend to be spontaneous, he tends to be planned and calculated.
- I yell, “Go faster,” as my kids go down the hill on their bikes. He yells, “Watch out for the curve.”(After a few crashes and broken bones the kids have learned to listen to Dad instead of Mom.)
- I love fruit desserts, he thinks that if it’s not chocolate then it’s not dessert.
- Gary faces conflict head on. I prefer to pretend it isn’t there.
- I like tart, he likes sweet.
- On the “fight or flight” scale, he fights. I hide. (Think twice before you scare him in a dark alley!)
- I think the more the merrier. He thinks the more the messier.
- He can skip a meal to check things off his “to-do” list. A good meal is my “to-do” list.
The list of our differences keeps going. On the DISC personality test, we are literally on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Totally opposite.
But when I fell in love with that country boy in college, it was our similar values that attracted me to him. It was clear that he loved God deeply and that he loved others. It was also clear that he loved me.
For nearly thirty years we’ve navigated our many differences with the strength of our similarities– our common love for God and for each other. 
Today, I’m thankful for my Valentine. I’m thankful that he loves God, that he loves me, and that we get the adventure of doing life together with all of our differences.
