Roderick… Well, Roderick was pretty much my everything. He made me breakfast every day. If I was taking a lunch to work (I work at a boarding school, so am often fed there), he would make sure I had exactly what I needed. Because he was home before me he made dinner for me weekdays, too. He did most of our grocery shopping, and if he was working in Victoria he would stop in Mill Bay and bring me a coffee on his way through. Once I started working at Brentwood, he confessed he was shopping at the Thrifty’s in Mill Bay just to be a bit closer to me.
Our thing was lunches out on the weekend. We would work or putter around the house in the morning, then decide where we would go to eat. Over lunch, we would discuss what we’d have for dinner that night, and sometimes shop for it afterward. We spent many happy Saturdays shopping in Duncan, stopping at 8 or 10 different stores getting this or that. He would always suggest a coffee stop so we could sit and talk face to face.
In the car he would reach for my hand, and would hold it as long as he could.
If I made plans for us to spend an evening with friends over dinner, or at a gig, he was always agreeable. He dressed up as Raggedy Andy for me this last Hallowe’en.
He supported all my decisions and gently made alternate suggestions if he thought I was heading in the wrong direction… but my decisions were always mine to make. I deferred to him on anything that involved the two of us, although we would both share our points of view before he made the final call.
He never once raised his voice to me or was short with me. He was so patient, teaching me new skills. If I ever needed something that only he could get (like something from the attic, because the stairs wig me out), I only had to ask once and it would be done.
He welcomed my friends and family into our home as though they were his own. He was the consummate host, always thoughtful and generous. If we were visiting friends and he was tired and I was raring to go, he would never complain, just perhaps fall asleep on the floor until I was ready to leave.
He was always thrilled for me if I bought something new to wear, or had something done to my hair. He would always comment positively on whatever change I had made and would tell me how beautiful I looked.
He fixed absolutely everything around our home. We never had to call a plumber or an electrician. He was McGyver after all. It seemed that by tinkering he could learn the workings of any kind of machinery, stuff that completely baffled me.
He taught both our dogs to swim, just like they were little children, and was endlessly patient as he trained them. He did things with them that he knew they would enjoy… like he did with everyone.
He loved to keep busy. It was difficult to get him to sit down and watch a movie (unless he could get up and make us a bowl of popcorn in the middle).
Friends, family and even virtual strangers who were experiencing difficulties were always on his radar. He sent many, many postcards and notes with encouraging words and scripture. Sometimes he would organize our church to do the same for one individual or another who he felt God was calling him to minister to.
His prayer lists as we said grace were legendarily long. He would go into detail with the Lord about each person’s situation and what exactly they needed. He was so faithful.
He told me he loved me multiple times a day, in person and via text and phone calls. It was the last thing he would say to me each night, and the first thing each morning. There could never be any doubt about how he felt about me.
The Lord chose to bless me with Roderick for nine years, seven of them married. Until I met him, I had no idea such goodness could exist in the world. When we were dating I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop… but of course it never did. If I could model myself after him in even the slightest way, I would consider myself lucky.
And though my heart is very sad, I can only imagine what a celebration there was in heaven when he arrived. How wonderful that God gets to spend every day with MyRoddy, from now until eternity.
I know you will be there waiting for me on my arrival, sweetheart. I love you with all my heart and I miss you terribly. Thank you for the joy and love and light you brought to my life. You are irreplaceable.
