As I held you in the crook of my arm this morning, I realized again that I was holding a treasure—a priceless treasure.  I began enumerating what you've done for me.  These things need to be written down.

I can't decide whether the number one thing that you've done is that you love me, or that you connected me to God.  Before you loved me you gave me a Book of Mormon.  That connected me to God, and set me on my life's course.  That saved my life.  That made me happy.  That dispelled depression and gloom.  That opened me to joy, which I have experienced ever since.

I'm not happy.  I'm joyful.

You showed me light.  You taught me how to harmonize.  I can not only harmonize with you in the songs that we sing, but I also harmonize with people and with the world.  I used to think that I was a misanthrope, one who disliked people, but you have given me a genuine liking for everyone.

I've always liked little people, and you gave me 10 of my very own.  They have grown into a family that totals 83 to date.  That number will grow exponentially, and they'll all be mine forever because of you.

Because of you the sealing power was activated in our behalf.  I distinctly remember our wedding day in the Salt Lake Temple.  As we changed rooms during the endowment session, we ascended a staircase.  We providentially ended up beside one another as we climbed the stairs.  In your white wedding dress, you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen; and we were ascending to heaven together.  In less than an hour we were kneeling across the altar from one another, and Joel Richards sealed us together for eternity.  That also sealed us to God, and sealed to us our unborn children and grandchildren of countless generations.

That's the big picture.

But then there are the day-by-day little things you do because you love me.  I'm sitting here wrapped in the quilt you made for me.  Which edition is it?  And you've never once been cross with me.  Not once!  We've been married for approximately 19,000 days.  That means that you've served me about 38,000 meals, and have given me 320 haircuts.  I haven't had a professional haircut in 52 years, so I don't even know what one costs; but at $20 per cut, that's $6,400 that I haven't spent.  To that figure should be added the 720 haircuts you gave my boys, which brings my savings in barber fees to $20,000.

That doesn't take into account anything you did for my girls.  You made them beautiful with well-kept hair and attractive dresses that you made yourself.  I can't begin to make any estimate of the number of your sewing projects, nor do I have a clue what their monetary value would be.  We'll just have to say that it's monumental.

Clothes washing?  I once kept track of your laundry activities for a week.  You did 21 loads.  You hung each item on the line to dry.  Then you folded them, and put them all away.  I tried to do that once when you were away.  I had no idea who each item of clothing even belonged to, so I couldn't put them where they belonged.  All I could do was to collect a 36-cubic-foot pile of clean clothes on the folding counter for you to take care of when you returned.

You've saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars in barber, meal, laundry, sewing, and housekeeping fees.  You've baked thousands of loaves of homemade bread, just because I love it so much.  You've kept me looking neat and clean.  You've beautified our home, yard, and garden.  You've taught and inspired all 10 of our children how to sing, harmonize, and to play instruments.  You've given our home a tangible, peaceful, holy atmosphere.  You've made us all respected and admired.

But best of all, you love me.  I can hardly believe it.  I'm astonished.  It is the greatest of honors.  Loving you is the greatest of privileges.  I am blessed beyond belief, and I haven't taken that for granted for even one second in the past 52 years.