Today is a BIG day - but it doesn't have much to do with me at all! Today Nathan begins a new job, a new journey, the next step in wherever we are headed. When he first graduated from college he did it with a job offer in hand, spending 5 years working at the first company before moving on to his most recent place of employment.
He went from engineer to IT specialist, transitioning into a completely new environment seamlessly. Nathan is not someone who sits back and lets life or jobs happen to him. Even though he was in a completely different career field he immediately jumped in with both feet. In addition to working hard at work, he pursued and researched difference certifications and information, becoming engrossed in the area where he served. From the very start he was determined to be the best he could be not just at checking off his daily to-do list, but going far beyond that.
Ultimately, his heart was always in engineering. He graduated with a degree in it, and he is an engineer through and through...so we always knew he would 'return home' one day, grateful for all that he has learned and experienced on the way. Today is that day, and it is bittersweet and he leaves a job he enjoyed immensely but finally goes back to what he was called to do.
This day is all about him, and how I am immensely proud of the person he has become. Throughout the years of my job unsteadiness in pursuing my passion, he has been my rock. He has held gone to a job that was difficult to excel in (not his most recent one thankfully!) and, though he of course had frustrations, never came home to complain to me. Not once has he been anything but supportive to me as I have chased after my dreams, even when his have felt far away or unknown at times.
Instead he has encouraged me, strengthened me, and promised to provide for me whether or not my business turned into something. He tells me all the time how proud he is of me - whether I am a wedding photographer, a business success, or a total 'failure' in the eyes of my peers - and he has stuck by his word. So today is the day for me to say how proud I am of him. I'm proud of his perseverance and his dedication. I'm proud of his dogged spirit. I'm proud of his desire to go above and beyond, to do the best he can do at tasks both big and small. I'm proud of his decision to seek contentedness wherever he is, no matter what.
Today I got up and made a big breakfast for the man I am proud of. I kissed him goodbye as he headed off to the unknown, a new venture, a new opportunity. But because of the man he is I know that no matter what, he will be the steadiness in our lives and in our marriage. I am beyond proud of him and I can't wait to see where this next journey goes.
