Why Do I Always Write About Luz?

I write about many concerns and subjects on my blog and in my postings, yet I’m sure that many have noticed that a dominating theme in the thoughts I express in writing is the way I feel about my wife, Luz Bautista Jackson.  Why is it that my fingers seem to take a particular delight in dancing on the keyboard to share yet another story or another thought about My Number One Girl?

The answer is straightforward.  I love her.  I like her.  She’s fun. She’s funny.  She’s compassionate.  She’s a woman of honor.  She’s courageous.  She knows when to be a peacemaker and when to be a warrior.  She is extremely loyal.  She is Determined – always with a capital “D”!  I have so much fun being around her I want all of my friends to know her too because you can’t help but smile when you hear her share her heart and her way of seeing the world! 

I don’t know how I gained such mercy, for God to bless me in such great measure by placing Luz in my life. I don’t take this blessing for granted.  Having been in ministry for more than 2 decades now, I am well aware of how hearts wander.  I see couples who were giddy with affection grow cold towards each other.  I see married friends who would die for each other, become embittered enemies.  I listen to husbands who were once fiancées full of praise for their betrothed spew vile insults about someone who sounds like an adversary, until one realizes they are speaking about the bride of their youth.  I hear and I look deep within myself, realizing that left to myself and failing to cultivate the love within me, I too can grow cold, and turn against this wonderful woman who has touched the deepest parts of my soul – a woman who gently yet resolutely transformed the last vestiges of boyhood within me into real, beneficial manhood and has partnered with me for some of the most meaningful life accomplishments of which it has been my privilege to be a part.  

I cannot leave myself to the lesser angels of my own nature.  Therefore, I seek to cultivate the better angels within me. A great part of that cultivation comes through giving thanks for all God’s goodness to me and the recognition that I am not self-made.  The beginning of that recognition is sharing on every possible occasion, how good God has been to me through Luz – in ways both great and small.  I want to celebrate the milestones and the bumps in the road.   I want to express my love right now, while I can.  

I know that the day will come when she and I are no longer sojourners on this planet and my ability to share my heart will be no more.  For that reason, I want the record to show in my actions and words, for her sake, my sake and the sake of our children, that there were two people on this planet named Luz and Sam, who though not perfect, loved each other with every fiber of their existence, and left a legacy in their wake that glorifies God, honors their family and encourages their friends and others who may stumble across their story. 

With those thoughts, I wish my beloved a very Happy Birthday 2015, blessed beyond measure by her presence in my life and thrilled at the opportunities I have to share my feelings for her with others…and now you know why!