For me, Eric is my compass. This isn’t just because I would be lost without him. But I can always depend on Eric to point us in the direction of what’s truly important in life. He’ll often stop to show me a beautiful flower or point out a sunset I might have missed. If I get distracted and forget that an important holiday is coming, Eric is the one who insists that we carve a pumpkin or color Easter eggs. Like a kid himself, he still gets incredibly excited around holidays. I can’t wait to see him share that excitement with our child whether it’s decorating the tree or “trick or treating.”Eric grew up in a very small town in Massachusetts surrounded by forests and farms and a great big extended family. When he tells me about his paper routes and the vegetables he used to grow and enter into contests at the fair, it sounds like something out of an old TV show! But so much about Eric comes from that small town.
For one thing, Eric is one of the most principled people I’ve ever known. He thinks that your beliefs aren’t nearly as important as how you act on them. While I work on environmental issues in my job, Eric is the one who is most careful about turning off the lights and taking short showers. And while my job involves protecting nature, Eric is the one working in the garden every weekend and planting flowers in the tree boxes along our street.Eric has so many things to teach a child whether it be navigating by the sun or the stars, cooking something creative, tying knots, or fixing just about anything. But even more important are the values Eric will teach just by his example. Because of who Eric is, our child will grow up knowing that people are always more important than things; that your word is your bond; and that it’s important to take the time to experience the beautiful world all around you.
Eric brings so much love, beauty, and fun into our home everyday. I can’t wait to see him share all of his wisdom and love with our child.