Buffalo’s Best Husband? He resides with me, sharing my greatest joys and my deepest sorrows. Dave Barton – a tall, handsome, hardworking gentleman /gentle man; he’s respected and admired, he’s a loyal friend who cares deeply and laughs easily. He’s an extraordinary father. He loves his life and is grateful for it.
That’s the obvious. However, it’s the hidden treasures I uncovered over the fourteen years of marriage that are priceless. Gems of kindness that never stop glimmering, are piled high in my heart; I collect them as a reminder of how blessed I am to have Dave in my life.
Yes, he helps with the laundry – pulling his shirts in rapid fire order from the dryer, so I needn’t iron more than a few. Yes, he does the shopping – he likes to. Yes, he changes the batteries in my mom’s smoke alarms – he doesn’t need a ladder. He climbs to the church roof to check for leaks, and he bails out our basement when it floods. It’s all part of the package.
But the gems, the truly precious things, are the moments he doesn’t realize are important, they are simply part of who he is. When I, in checking-up mode ask, “Did you remember your passport? Did you pack your belt?” he will calmly reply, “Yes I did, but thank you for reminding me.” Who says that?
Perhaps my most cherished Dave Barton acts of kindness occur in the morning as he leaves for work. He bends over, kisses me, says “I love you” and then mentions something about my day – “Have a nice lunch with your friends”, “ I hope your meeting goes well,” “I’ll look forward to dinner tonight.”
I am blessed to have this man in my life. I wish everyone could be so fortunate.
In June of 2014, an excerpt from this essay appeared in Buffalo Magazine for: “Buffalo’s Best Husband-Best of the Rest” .