I might as well come clean right now. I’ve got a lot of women in my life.

And the way things keep going, I don’t see it changing much. Sorry, no apologies here.

For that matter, the number of women just keeps growing, and you can think what you want of me, but I’m actually pretty happy about it.

OK, lest I take the joke too far, the girls happen to be my wife, daughters and granddaughter. And for years I have been able to use that little joke in reference to my life.

Of course I was THRILLED to add that first young lady to my life when I married a pretty and witty 18-year-old back in 1975.

And even though it took a while for the little ones to begin joining our family, the wife and I soon found that the Lord had many girls for us to enjoy.

First there was Chrissy, and then Jenny and then Vicky. Now I’m adding to those children with my granddaughter Abby, and I’m wondering if there may be another granddaughter coming in these next few weeks when Jenny has her second baby.

So you can see my life has been loaded with women, and the truth is that I would never have wanted it any other way.

Speaking of those women, I want to send out Happy Birthday wishes to the one I call “the big girl” out of the pack. And no, I don’t call her that since she is “big.” Just a little older.

Yup, the wife is having a birthday in a couple of days and 33 years after I married her, I still know that it was the best decision I ever made in my life.

For that matter, the longer I am married, the more I am coming to really, truly appreciate my wife.

This life we live is oh, so interesting, isn’t it?

And to have one person to go through it all with—well, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be any different.

My wife and I have been through so much, with the three girls, and I wasn’t meaning to leave out child number four in my one boy, Mikey, who is now 13.

Isn’t it interesting that when you are a teenager you are so excited about getting older, and fortunately you have this glamorous view of how life will be. It seems so exciting to be an adult, and you can’t wait to be grown, and living on your own, and perhaps to be married, and even to have children.

As teens we just see the good side of it, and we don’t even consider how challenging, difficult and downright hard life can become.

My wife and I went through our own share of trials just being together, and of course the normal stuff when you are raising children.

But now that three of the girls are young adults, and officially out of the house, it has led me to watch with amazement to see how incredible my wife has become as a true, Godly woman to these girls, finding herself serving as a daily counselor to them, as they also begin to navigate their way through the trials and challenges of life.

A day does not go by that my wife doesn’t talk to one, two or three of the girls. And believe me, most of the days it is all three. And also most of the days it isn’t for a few minutes, but more like 30 minutes, or an hour, or two hours.

Where does she find the time to do that, homeschool my son, do all the things to take care of our house, and always have a great, home-cooked meal on the table everyday when I come home from work?

I think you’re getting the picture I am trying to communicate. I am getting older, and I look at the things my wife does everyday. She does so many things, but mostly, has become—as the Bible talks about—the kind of woman that her young children look to for her wisdom.

I know right now that my wife is probably cringing if she is reading this. She is embarrassed that I would hold her up on such a pedestal. Believe me, she would quickly tell you she doesn’t deserve any praise of that sort.

But you know what? She really does. Yet most amazing to me is the way she continually is there for our girls. Quite honestly, they have all had some very hard times in the past year or so. But there is my wife, everyday, any minute of the day or night, always talking to them in a way that helps them, encourages them, and makes them feel better.

I get e-mails sometimes from people who apparently take some pleasure in telling me that they can’t stand me writing about stuff like this. They have been downright ugly, letting me know that I am wasting a lot of people’s time by putting things like this in the paper. After all, they say, who cares about your family?

But you know why I do it? Because I have always tried my best to be encouraging to people who deserve it. I have tried my best to look for the good in people, and not be afraid to publicly say it. And even if it is my own wife, it just so happens, I have been given a public platform to say this.

But most importantly, I say it since I want you to know that my wife is like that since she is a Christian, and since she has learned those principles from the Bible. She does it all with a great amount of joy and love, and she does it since she knows God is pleased when she does.

If that makes just one person consider such an approach to their family, and if it perhaps helps them get through a difficult time, then it would be worth this whole page to say it.

So for today, Happy Birthday to my sweet wife. Love you honey, and I especially love the woman you continue to become as we grow old together.

Kevin Chiri is Publisher of L’Observateur and can be reached at (985) 652-9545 or at kchiri@bellsouth.net