A Participating Observant's Note

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand."
— George Orwell

I heard this quote for the first time the other day and thought about the current state of my lovely bride. As you know (or at least should) Amanda is closing in on finishing her dissertation, thereby becoming Dr. Amanda. This post is in no way going to mention dates, or timelines, or any such thing that could be reasonably construed as a jinx. What I do want to say is how unbelievably proud I am of her and her unrelenting determination to finish what she started.

Sometimes Amanda doesn't get as much credit as she deserves because she has always been an achiever. It comes as no shock to any of us that have known and loved Amanda for so long that she is about to become Dr. Amanda, but it should not lessen the achievement because the process has certainly not been easy on her. As a participant observer--in other words, someone who lives with her and the dissertation, wishes he could fix it all for her but can't--I have watched her go through this process with equal parts wonder and sympathy.

So during this annual celebration of love, overpriced flowers, Hallmark, and my personal favorite--chocolate, I want to say something in front of all of our readers to the love of my life and mother of my daughter.

I stand in awe of you. Not because you have lived without struggle, but because you live so graciously in spite of it.

Happy Valentines Day