As a father, he absolutely takes pride and joy in his two sons. He would do anything for either one of them. He has coached Chris since the t-ball years all the way into high school baseball. He has coached his basketball teams all through middle school and has been doing the same with Matt. If ever Dennis had to miss one of his boys' games, it was because he was out of town. I think I can count on one hand the amount of games Dennis has missed. Being able to coach is a gift from God. Not only does Dennis love to coach his own boys, he takes pride in coaching the team as a whole. He coaches as if they were his own sons. As much as he loves to win, more joy comes from the fact when he can TEACH the boys. He is a fair coach. He disciplines when needed yet knows how to have fun. It amazes me at what he can do out on the baseball field and a basketball court.
He's an all or nothing kind of guy which for the most part, works for him. When he puts his mind to something, he succeeds. Failure is not an option for him. His determination never ceases to amaze me. He always wants to improve. For instance, not only did he beat his last year's marathon time but he crushed it and even broke his 4 hour goal! He's physically fit. He's mentally fit. He may not always seem it but he's very compassionate. He's funny. He's comical. He can relieve tension in any situation. He can get a room laughing like crazy. He loves God and isn't afraid to tell you that you need to ask God into your life too. He's persistent when something is important to him. He's passionate about what he believes in. He can fix a toilet and roof a house. He's dug up a swimming pool IN THE RAIN that he found on Craigslist which saved us a ton of money. When he wanted to give up digging it out, I knew he actually wouldn't because that's who he is. He has the same love for beach vacations as I do and is like a little kid once we actually get there. He drives me crazy when all he wants to do is play in the sand and water KNOWING the grocery shopping needs to get done, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
He's conquered anxiety for the most part. It's not to say he never has an issue creep up on him but his determination in not letting anxiety win has been proven over and over since he hasn't taken anxiety meds in YEARS! He held it together through my breast cancer scare and then some! He had to still coach AND plan Chris' graduation party when we went through that. He had to cook the meals and take care of me and laundry and the boys and still do his job. He is my superman!
He is a dreamer but also a realist. He jumps at opportunities.....sometimes before thinking and wonders what the heck he got himself into but then it becomes a challenge he believes he will conquer (and usually does.) In these cases I call him my Peter (the apostle who jumped out of the boat before thinking about what he was doing.) He supports me 99.9% of the time. He's a praying man. Like I said, he loves God.
He would do anything for me and I know it. If I didn't know it was wrong to put someone on a pedestal, that's where I'd have him. God says til death do us part. I hear heaven is the most amazing place ever. A place we can't even imagine being as unfathomable as we're told it is. But in my mind, right now, heaven won't be heaven without being able to be with Dennis and I truly hope God will allow me to still have Dennis with me somehow, someway when that day comes (a long, long time from now.)
I'm so grateful for God's timing. Had I not met Dennis in high school, someone else would have snatched him up and I would have had to settle for someone else. Thank you God for this man.
Happy Birthday, Den!
