Happy Birthday, Theresa

My wife is a complex person, much too complex to describe adequately in the space and time available here.  Since anyone reading this probably already knows her, I won't try to paint a clear picture for you - instead, I'll talk a little about how she has changed in the 35+ years we've been married.
 
As a newlywed, Theresa was beautiful, sweet, and conservative.  She had no ambitions, other than to be a great wife and - eventually - mother.  She worked, of course, because that was what you did if you didn't have kids, but she always assumed that would stop when we had children.  In many ways, she was innocent, even a bit naive.  Of course, most of us share those characteristics at the age of 18.  What not all of us had at that or any age was her honesty, character, and courage.  These things haven't changed - she doesn't cheat, lie, or steal, and she will always speak her mind. 

At 18 (and for a number of years after), Theresa was unconcerned about her long-term health. She did want to stay in shape, but only so she looked OK - it had nothing to do with fitness.  Theresa was a smoker for the first 15 years or so of our marriage.

On our move to Lincoln, we had a bad experience with several Realtors,  before we found one who did a good job.  When we talked about it, Theresa said, "I could do better than that!".  She did.  She started out in real estate part time, and soon was doing very well.  A few years later, the largest company in town recruited her to be an assistant manager and trainer, and she was well on her way to a successful career in management.

At about the same time as the job change, she gave up smoking.  I had quit a few years earlier, but it was a much tougher task for Theresa.  In quitting, she demonstrated the strength, resolve, and mule-headed stubbornness I had come to expect from her - characteristics that would help her in later years as she struggled with nerve damage from a back injury.  That allowed her to not only function despite the pain, but to actually increase her fitness level.  Eventually, she was able to lose weight and gain some control over her body.

Like most of us, Theresa has changed through the years.  She no longer has the same conservative, religious world view she had in the 1970's.  She's broken with the Catholic Church, and no longer attends services.  She still has, I believe, some spiritual feelings, but recognizes the issues with that faith.  She has gone from having virtually no career ambitions, to being extremely driven, and settled into the belief that work, while important, is not the most important thing in life.  She's still beautiful, but isn't vain.  She's extremely health conscious - she works out hard 5 or 6 days a week, and eats sensibly most of the time.

Fortunately, there's a lot more that hasn't changed.  If the naivete is gone, the good heart is still there - she'll do anything for her friends and family.  She's more likely than anyone I know to do an unexpected good deed for someone else.  She's personally very disciplined, and extremely protective of her kids.  Most people like her when they meet her, and those that don't are missing the boat.  She's a genuine, strong, caring person, well worth the effort to get to know.

On January 28th, sometime in the last half of the previous century, Theresa was born.  It's a great day - Happy Birthday, Theresa!