If you are going to pull up a chair and spend some time with me here at Grateful Moments, then I think it is only fair that you meet the people who make up the family behind the stories. And today, I want you to meet David. David isn’t only my husband he is my best friend, the love of my life my soul mate and Charlie’s dad and in his heart Suzzane’s.
David is my, my partner, my sometime travel companion, my grocery-shopping buddy, my late-night television audience—even when he would probably rather be sleeping—and the person who has been beside me through a whole lot of life. David is also the photographer on here and my biggest supporter as he tells anyone who he meets what I do and ask if we can help them.
Our life isn’t always picture-perfect. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to create Grateful Moments in the first place. There are days when we’re running errands, trying to get somewhere before Charlie has to work, stopping at a grocery store because something is on sale, or changing our plans completely because life had something else in mind.
There are days when we laugh. There are days when we’re tired. There are days when one of us is frustrated with the other. And then there are the ordinary days that somehow become the memories we remember the longest. David works hours that most people wouldn’t want to work. His schedule means there are times when he is getting up while most of the world is still asleep, and there are times when he is ready for bed long before everyone else has finished their evening.
That makes our household schedule a little different. Sometimes I’m sitting there watching television in the middle of the night, waiting for Charlie to get home from work, and David wakes up just enough to look over at the television and ask, “What in the world are you watching?” And I have to explain.
Sometimes he might actually watch it with me. Sometimes he absolutely will not. But those are the little moments that make up a marriage. Recently, I found a show called Beautiful People. I wasn’t even sure I was going to like it. I was looking for something to watch and really didn’t want to start another series.
Before I knew it, I was several episodes in. Then I was binge-watching. Three days later, I had watched all 16 episodes. David woke up in the middle of the night, looked at the television and basically wondered what on earth had captured my attention. But that’s life in our house. Me and the dogs watching tv and David sleeping and Charlie working making us grateful, thankful and blessed for the life the LORD has given us.
We don’t always watch the same things. We don’t always want to go to the same places. We don’t always make the same choices. But somehow we keep showing up for one another. That’s what I want people to see when they come to Grateful Moments. Not a perfect family. A real one. A family that has experienced happiness, loss, changes, surprises, disappointments, celebrations, arguments, new beginnings and everything in between.
David has been part of so many of those moments. He’s there when we’re loading up the car to go somewhere. He’s there when we’re running errands. He’s there when we are trying to figure out what we’re going to have for dinner. He’s there when we’re grocery shopping and I find meat marked down and suddenly decide that we’ve just saved the grocery budget for the week. And he’s there when I come home with another idea for something I want to do.
Sometimes I think he probably wonders what I’m going to come up with next. And then there are the moments that aren’t funny. The moments when families have to have difficult conversations. The moments when someone disappoints you. The moments when you have to make decisions you didn’t expect to make. The moments when someone you love is hurting. Those moments matter, too.
A family isn’t built only from vacations, birthday parties and holiday dinners. It is built in the everyday moments when people choose to keep going, keep talking, keep loving and keep showing up. That’s the David I want you to meet. The man beside me in the ordinary moments. The man who has shared countless grocery trips, errands, meals, television shows, family adventures and unexpected detours with me. The man who has been part of the stories I’m going to share here.
And as you get to know Grateful Moments, you’ll get to know David a little more, too. You may see him in a story about a trip we took. You may hear about something funny that happened at home. You may see him mentioned when we’re trying a new recipe. You may hear about one of our shopping adventures.
And sometimes you may simply hear about David because something happened that made me stop and think, “This is one of those moments I don’t want to forget.” That’s really what this blog is about. Remembering the people. Remembering the ordinary days. Remembering the little things that don’t seem important when they happen but become precious later.
So, David, welcome to Grateful Moments. You’ve been part of my story for a long time. Now I’m finally letting everyone else meet you. And to everyone reading this, pull up a chair. There’s a lot more to come. Tomorrow I will introduce you to Charlie Waddles, Wiggles, Bones my son my best friend.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates