This post is written in honor of my wife, who is graduating this month with her Master’s in Nursing as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner from the University of North Dakota. It’s a milestone that represents not just academic achievement but years of sacrifice, sleepless nights, and unshakable dedication to her work, her family, and herself.

There are people in life who quietly carry the world on their shoulders, who love fiercely, give selflessly, and rarely ask for anything in return. My wife is one of those people.

She’s been through storms that would have made most people sit down and give up. For years, she worked as a nursing director, a role that came with enormous responsibility and unimaginable stress, especially during the chaos of the pandemic. I saw it wear on her, and I saw the way her shoulders unloaded the stress after she left.

While most are winding down, she works nights, caring for a gentleman. While the world sleeps, she still gives, showing up with compassion and presence. And somehow, in the middle of all this, she’s finishing one of the hardest and most important chapters of her life and earning her Masters.

She amazes me every day.

Even when I was at my lowest and couldn’t see through the fog of my own struggle, she stood by me, even though she was tired. She held it all together with her work, her school, our family, and me. She does it all without ever making it seem like too much. But I know it is. I know how heavy it is, and still, she carries it with grace.

At home, I lead our household, but she is the foundation that keeps it steady. She supports my decisions with trust and grace, never trying to overshadow me but always standing strong beside me. While I take on the nurturing parent role, she is the emotional caregiver. I am the one attuned to the deeper needs of our kids in ways that she deeply admires. She brings a calm to the chaos, clarity to confusion, and love that runs deep and quiet. Her emotional wisdom, quiet strength, and fierce loyalty are what holds this family together.

When we became foster parents, our world shifted in a big way. In the face of societal expectations and outdated gender roles, she supported and encouraged me in stepping away from my job to become a stay-at-home dad. She never made me feel less than for not bringing home a paycheck. She embraced it, celebrated it, and reminded me that love and labor come in many forms. While she brought home the bacon, she also encouraged me to pursue what made sense for our family and for my growth.

She supported me as I returned to school to get my Community Health Worker Certificate, and now she continues to stand beside me as I work toward my bachelor’s in social work. She didn’t just support me. She believed in me, even when I doubted myself. That kind of love changes a person.

She truly sees me, even when I can’t see myself. She never disrespects the way I contribute, even if it’s not tied to a paycheck. She gives me kindness and tenderness in the smallest gestures, like a touch, a brief kiss, a long hug, or a word of encouragement when I feel like I’m drowning. And she’s still there when I’m not okay, when I spiral, sitting beside me and talking me through the storm. I see her frustration sometimes, the weight of it all, but she stays. She loves anyway.

Her love doesn’t just hold our home together. It pushes me forward. Because of her, I want to be better. I want to finish school. I want to make a difference for our kids. I want to give back to the woman who gives us so much. Watching her pursue her degree made me believe I could chase my dream to get my bachelors.

There’s so much about her I admire. Her brilliance. Her strength. Her smile always means something real. Her eyes, those beautiful brown eyes, make everything else fade away. And she’s goofy as hell. I love that. I love how she can make up a song on a whim and sing it on the spot. How we’ll hear something and start singing the same song at the same time like our minds are synced. That’s us.

Even when she was working two jobs and barely had time to sleep, she still carved out space for date nights. She chose us again and again. She doesn’t see it, but she’s an incredible role model not just to our children but to so many young women and Native people who see in her a reflection of what’s possible. She is living proof that education and resilience can change a life. Being soft and strong at the same time is not only possible but also powerful.

So this is for her.

My wife.
My best friend.
The woman who keeps our world spinning.

Thank you for all the invisible labor, for every night shift, for every hug and late-night talk, and for being exactly who you are.

We see you.
We love you.
We are better because of you.