Back to Back

”If you like them, Sandi made them. If you don’t like them, I made them,” I told my friends at church as I handed out my spicy chocolate chip cookies. Of course, I made them, but I like to put Sandi in the best light. Giving her credit is just another way that I cover her back.

Many people today don’t do this. In fact, there are so many ways for a spouse to show disrespect for their mate that they have become clichés. Hidden behind a thin veil of humor, the culture of the day encourages a basic disregard for the spouse. Sitcoms where the conflict and ridicule between a husband and wife hides a (supposedly) deeper affection are commonplace as are greeting cards that ridicule one spouse or another.

I refuse to share this negative view of my wife. Sandi is my counselor and best friend. I treasure our time together and greedily seek more. I want everyone to know that she inspires any successes I achieve. Whenever I speak of my wife, it’s easy to speak in glowing terms because they are so evident to me. Even more than that, I find that the better I speak of Sandi, the easier it is to speak and think better of her. Because I choose to focus on her very best, the minor irritations, frictions of modern day-to-day life, are simply swept away and ignored.

As I hovered near the door with another tray, I heard Sandi say, “Bill made these, but I came up with the idea of adding the spices. Have you tried his broiled chocolate chip cookies, though? They are wonderful! I don’t know how he thought of them.”

This is how it’s supposed to work, I thought with a smile. We have one another’s back.

Bill Bartlett has Sandi’s back at their home in Belton.