Dear Rachel,
For this, and the next few posts, I wanted to include the kids.    You are an amazing mother and I don't think you have any idea how much you inspire and influence our children.  So I decided to ask each of the kids how you bring love, peace and happiness to their lives.  Now, not all the kids grasped this concept with equal enthusiasm and comprehension, and that will probably become apparent over the next couple of weeks, but we will start with Jenna.
She said that one thing she loves is how you wake her up in the morning.  You always rub her back and gently call her name and help her wake up peacefully.  I asked her how this brings love, peace and happiness, and she said that it is something that only you can do.  It helps her be optimistic when waking up.  I can attest to the truthfulness of this.  A few years ago, I had a rare day where I did not leave for work before the kids were out of bed.  I thought I would be helpful and get the kids ready for school.  I marched into Jenna's room igniting the blinding lights and announcing to Jenna (and in her opinion, the rest of the neighborhood) that it was time to get out of bed.  She obediently prepared herself for the day, then burst into tears because I had been so abrupt in starting the day.  I have tried many times since then to duplicate your peaceful commencement of the day, but somehow my attempts have resulted in gently rubbing her elbow, poking her eye, tripping over clothes before I make it to her bed, and calling her name in a voice that reminds her of an intimidating batman.
Although she tries very hard to not let me ruin her day, it is obvious that she enjoys it more when you are the one to wake her up.  Just your presence brings peace to the morning.
She also said that she loves it when you tuck her in at night.  You always take the time to go talk to her about the day and make sure she knows she is loved.  It may not seem like a big deal, but Jenna looks forward to the end of the day when she gets that special time with you.  Throughout the day, she is surrounded by 3 energetic brothers, a sometimes high-maintenance baby sister and she sometimes feels lost in the shuffle. But that time each night helps to remind her that she is also a special part of the family.
We love you.

Dear Rachel,
Several weeks ago we were on a car trip and I asked you what you wanted for Christmas (one of the 7000 times I asked).  You thought about it for a little then said "all I want is love, peace and happiness." my first thought was to respond with a list of ways that you do that every day, but, believe it or not, I thought before I spoke and I came up with this idea.  Admittedly, part of it may have been because I have been trained to think that documentation is necessary, but I also thought this would be a fun way to show you how vital you are to our family.
You have been such an inspiration in so many ways over the years.  not only have you supported me through choosing a career, completing the nearly endless schooling, surviving a grueling residency, and much more, but you have also somehow found a way to make all that enjoyable.  You have always found ways to show me you love an support me and you have done it in the way that I have needed.  You are thoughtful, kind and giving and you show that every day of your life.
Here is my Christmas present to you:  I promise to write once a week, for an entire year about something that you have done to bring love peace and happiness to our lives.  Now, you know that I have never, in my life, been that consistent on anything (probably including eating and sleeping), so every time I miss a post for the week, I will continue with an extra 2 posts.



Here is my first post.  You bring love, peace and happiness to our home by helping us be a better family.  I have to give a little background to how I had the idea of this blog, because we both know that starting a blog by myself is probably the last thought on my mind.  On the same car ride that inspired this blog, you shared something that you wanted to work on.  You mentioned the book the "Orange Rhino" and how the author had made a commitment to stop yelling at her kids.   You read to me from this book, discussed strategies, and even shared your experiences.  In your sharing of this book, to told me how the author made a goal to not yell at her kids for an entire year.  Every time she did, she would start the time over, but she also started a blog to help hold her to her outrageous goal.  As you explained this you discussed the importance of being held responsible for our goals to improve ourselves.  I have always been an "under promise, over deliver" type of guy.  I like the idea of making secret goals so if I happen to fail, no one knows, and if I happen to succeed, it makes me look like a rock star.  You have helped me understand that this is not the best approach.  You are so good at evaluating yourself, our family, our relationship and always striving for improvement.  You love to try new things to expand your skill set, experience, and talents.  You definitely make a constant effort to "let your light so shine".    I appreciate your constant efforts to improve yourself and bring our family up with you.  Since our wonderful conversation, I have noticed myself constantly looking for the good, and I owe that to you.  I love you so much.  I want you to have the best Christmas ever and I look forward to a year filled with love peace and happiness.