Love and Joy

I need someone like Edric in my life, someone who is spontaneous, quirky, silly, and totally corny. Contrary to what my name implies, I can be serious too often. Edric doesn’t let me be that way. He is a great counterbalance to my tendency towards melancholy and introspection.

He plays tricks on me, like hiding behind doors to scare me, even though he knows I hate this. One time he surprised me in the shower and I screamed and cried. When he realized my tears were real, he totally apologized and hasn’t done the shower surprise since. But he certainly loves to get a reaction out of me.

Sometimes he will call and pretend to be another person. Or he will come up to me when I am shopping and act like a stranger who is hitting on me. He is also a big tease and will playfully prey on my insecurities. And he will flirt with me in public which often makes me awkward, and then say, “What?! We are married! We have five kids!”

I have never really given it much thought but, boy, would it be boring if he was a serious, uptight and always proper Edric more often than his emotionally-liberated self. Don’t get me wrong. He is well-mannered and knows how to be a gentleman. However I am glad he knows how to be a fun husband and a fun dad, too. Let me rephrase that. HE IS a fun husband and a fun dad.

At the dinner table, he acts out a character called “Mini-rat” which is a horror version of Mickey Mouse when the kids don’t eat their food right away. He will crawl under the table and “attack” them. The kids will squeal and shout in delight as he does this dialogue with an imaginary cast of characters. Mini-rat is the star of the show. The kids really get a kick out of it.

I have often watched Edric laughing during these ridiculous moments and wondered why I am not that way. I tend to be the observer on the sidelines, the one to tell the story afterwards. My problem is I can be too detached and not invested enough to join in the craziness. Edric teaches me to be otherwise.

God knows how to put two people together. When I was younger I thought I would fall in love with the quiet, brooding type — the talented artist or the fascinating intellectual, someone who hopefully looked like a Marlboro Man, gruff and scruffy and very manly (sans the smoking, of course!) I was never the kind of girl who liked the poster boy jocks or the men with perfect faces. Typical was not attractive to me.

When I met Edric, he happened to be the right combination of everything I was looking for and wasn’t looking for. I am not just referring to the physical. Yes, I thought he was very good-looking. But I was drawn to him in an unexpected sort of way — to his unpretentiousness and charm, to his protective and gentlemanly nature, to the ease at which we were able to communicate, to the many similar values and spiritual perspectives we shared, to his bent towards heroism, to his natural leadership and passion for a cause. But it wasn’t really until marriage that I discovered how fun a person he was. It was a delightful bonus.

Marriage should be fun. Imagine being with someone for decades and decades and taking everything so seriously? That’s probably what would have happened if I married someone I picked! Thankfully, God chose Edric for me. He tailor-fit him to my personality, to my strengths and weaknesses.

Being married to Edric has taught me another way to live — to relax and enjoy a bit of healthy silliness. I laugh more now. I crack dumb jokes. I know how to play a prank or two. I even like corny. (I am still working on the spontaneous part.) But one thing is for sure…I am a better version of JOY because God gave Edric to me.

To the laughs we share through richer or poorer, for better or worse…

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9 thoughts on “Love and Joy

  1. Joy, you have tremendously inspire sooo many people…
    I have met you when you were still young, in your house..I even remember giving one of my most treasured hat to one of you girls…
    I cried a river when you cried…and started to pray for you and your family since then..
    I must say pra na kitang kadugong tunay because of my unceasingly praying for you..
    Just want you to know that I have been using your ” teach with joy” to relate better to my pamangkins by always referring to read your writings..
    Your sharing about your being daughter, wife and Mom, and sister have been such a huge blessing to Your readers…I would say, youre such a blessed person..!!!
    God bless you thousandfolds, my Dear,err , Our Everdearest Joy!!!

  2. Ha ha ha! Amusing photo (“,) Enjoyed reading the story and the previous ones about the family’s vacation in the US (“,)

  3. Hi, Joy! I am always blessed with your entries! This one spoke to me personally. I just had a fight with my boyfriend and this really touched my heart. I, too, always want the serious-type perfect man but there, He gave me someone that fits me and that is actually opposite of who I am. 🙂 We both realized that part where God knows what’s best for us. :”> So blessed by this one! Thaaaanks. 🙂 God bless you and your family! ♡

  4. I can’t help to smile or laugh when I read your blogs.. It’s so inspiring.. I really wish rather pray that you continue doing so, because you’re such a blessing to us moms and wives… more blessings, more joy, more strength and more of God in our lives! 🙂

  5. Joy, you are funny! Your blogs are not only filled with worthy lessons about God and life, they are likewise entertaining because of your sense humor! I never fail to read them when it’s out, I just can’t miss your posts!:-)

  6. Hi, Joy. This is totally not related to your post, but I hope it is alright if I ask if CCF is baptist or evangelical?

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