Happy Fourth and Happy Anniversary

Tomorrow is the 238th birthday of our country.
While the country celebrates Independence Day, my wife and I will celebrate our wedding anniversary - not quite that many years LOL.
She is an extremely private person - those who know me know her name.
Those of you reading this column that don’t know her name - read on anyway.
Covering sports for a living sounds exciting, but in reality it also has its own set of issues.
She has endured the years I spent working until the wee hours of the morning producing the next day’s newspaper pages.
She has overcome the fast-paced meals together before I rushed out the door to head to a ball game.
She has waited patiently as readers stopped me in the store to say either kind words or to bash my writings.
She is quick to defend my honor and is the foundation that keeps me steady.
She is there for suggestions, constructive criticism and praise when she feels I deserve it.
I have become a better man every year of our life together.
She loves me in spite of my shortcomings.
When we made our vows, I am not sure we really understood what “richer or poorer” meant.
We have experienced the “in sickness and in health” part.
And the final part of the vow is one we both plan to keep no matter what.
We have laughed and cried together - and thankfully there have been far more good days than bad.
She is the best woman I could have ever married - but God knew that when we both showed up for a bar-b-que that neither of us even planned to attend.
We have had many chicken dinners since then but I still smile when I think about how we met those many Happy Groundhog Days ago.
Thankfully, she is a sports fan and enjoys watching games from the comfort of our home as well as the numerous road trips.
I am not sure it is a good thing, but she did manage to convert me from a Braves fan to an Astros fan.
Over the years in my career I have met governors, a president and numerous great coaches and athletes.
But she is the one I am most grateful I met.
I am truly a lucky man.
While the life of a coach may be tough on his family, so is the career of a sports editor.
I am grateful that she is understanding, supportive and both my biggest fan and toughest critic.
So today, I want to say thanks to her for all these years together.
“Truer than true,” as Clint Black wrote, “You know that I’ll always be there for you.
“That’s what I had in When I said I do.
“I meant that I will, ‘til the end of all time
“Be faithful and true, devoted to you... That’s what I had in mind when I said ‘I do.’”
Too bad I didn’t write that song back during my musician days - we could have already retired.
But I do love her more today than when I said “I do.”
Enjoy the Fourth of July with your family and friends and always remember what makes this day special in our country’s history.
One thing about getting married on the Fourth of July, at least I will always remember my anniversary.
And the whole country celebrates.