Strength

I am in love with a man who gets all sweaty and exhausted from wielding a chain saw, while cutting down and clearing out trees and brush growing around the summer cabin; then pauses to carefully distribute handfulls of seeds along the driftwood lining the deck and watch while chipmunks and squirrels chatter and gather.  He rides the 4-wheeler to neighboring cabins to visit and keep in touch, and then returns to fill the hummingbird feeders and watch the hummingbirds buzz from one to the other. I am in love with a man who insists on stopping by the side of the road to hunt for thimbleberries and eats them like a bear in the bush.  He rushes outside to watch the lightning and the downpour from a thunderstorm and is the first to see the developing rainbow.  And in the evening, tears fill his eyes as he watches the last of the sunset drop behind the mountain and he waits hopefully for a full moon's reflection on the lake below.

To some, these activities might appear as a sign of weakness.  To me, recognizing and enjoying the beauty and power of nature is an ultimate gift from our creator and a demonstration of strength.