Happy Birthday

Today is my wife's birthday, so please forgive me the self-indulgence of giving her a mention.
Solomon, reputed to be the wisest man who ever lived, said, "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour from the Lord". Notice he didn't say, 'he who findeth a girl prepared to sleep with him, or a one-night stand, or an illicit thrill, or an ornament to hang from his arm at parties or to drape over the passenger seat of his sports car'. No, he said 'he that findeth a wife'. These things are cheap; but a wife is a treasure with a value "far above rubies".
I'm still quietly amazed, even after all these years, that she said 'yes'; that such a remarkable woman would close off all other options and dedicate herself to someone like me for life. But that's what it's all about; the greatest gift she has ever given me in all our twenty six years together is the one she gave on that first day, when she stood and publicly professed a love so strong that she was prepared to seal it with a binding, lifetime commitment. I don't take that lightly, and I never will. That is a treasure beyond price, and that's why Marriage will forever stand head and shoulders above every other human relationship.
Happy Birthday, gorgeous. I love you. And thank you for everything.