Dylan Stafford

Sunday afternoon, October 10, 2021
(stepping away from the Giants at the Cowboys to write my appreciation of you, my miracle Marisa)

My dear love Marisa,

Our marriage is all grown up. Today is the 18^th anniversary of our wedding.

We will celebrate with dinner together tonight. Our neighbor Victoria will watch our two sons back home. The meal will come and the moments will pass and so I want to write you these words to last longer, to appreciate the blessing you are in my life.

When I asked you to marry me—when you said ‘yes’—I had an intuition that life with you would be a special life. Time has raised intuition to knowing. I don’t hope or wonder anymore. I know, deeply—the way you know things that you don’t ever have to think about—that you are the gift in my life.

I suspected you were strong when we started our life together. You are from New Jersey. You are one of five children. Your parents are still married and are funny and happy and salty: they are incredible role models of marriage. Your grandparents had been married 69 glorious years on our wedding day; you danced with your grandpa and I took as spin with your grandma. I suspected you were made of strong stuff, and after the last 18 months of these last 18 years all there is to do is be grateful of your strength.

We are coming out of a crucible together, living through this pandemic. From the early crisis days of going to Costco with a hazmat suit and buying toilet paper in bulk, through homeschooling our sons and working remotely even as your business contracted, to rescuing two puppies and resetting now to some new normal—through all of that you never flinched. You faced forward with faith and fortitude.

My parents have been married over 55 years. All my grandparents and aunts and uncles all got married and stayed married. Somehow, I took marriage for granted growing up. From the outside, I didn’t see the miracle of a healthy marriage. I had to be inside my own marriage with you to begin to realize how precious this is, our life together. These last 18 months gifted me with the appreciation of the richness of our marriage. You are my wife, co-parent, coach, encourager, planner, business partner, trusted counsel, fellow dog-walker, buddy, friend, best friend and lover. You are the center of my life.

Nobody told me all that was possible. Or if they did, I didn’t believe it.

Life with you gets richer and better. Each year the trust grows and the foundation deepens. 

I’m a better man, being your husband. Work matters more. I appreciate family more. There’s a reason for living. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Who knew cleaving would be so great?

I love you Marisa. Here’s to our next 18 years. Thanks for being the mother of our boys, the daughter of your parents, a sister to your siblings, a joy in the world and the love of my life.

Your blessed husband,

Dylan

P.S. The Cowboys won.