most people miss it

There are not many people who know just how brilliant my wife, Ling is.

Most have the immediate impression that she's generally the 'quiet-type' and therefore assume that she doesn't really have much to say. It's no secret that she is of a chinese-ED background and so not as 'eloquent' as some may expect.

But...

nothing could be further from the truth!

She's brilliant!
Really.

i can't even begin to detail to you the numerous accounts of me benefiting from her wisdom and perspectives. She has the keen ability to gain tremendous insight on matters with a very healthy proportion of wit, practicality, logic and reason while being generous with her words and sincere in her feelings.

She achieves the 'perfect' balance of appealing to the mind while taking care of the heart.

Sure, i may be able to 'say more'.
But she... she says exactly what needs to be heard in exactly the right way while addressing exactly the matter of concern and uncovering the underlying issues pertaining to it.

She sees 'through' the problem and yet has the patience and kindness to walk the person she's talking to through to reaching its conclusion.

It's hard to describe exactly her genius (intellectually, emotionally and socially) ...
She 'gets' it.
She 'gets' me.

No matter how much i may beat around the bush and even subconsciously sometimes drown out the 'real' issues with my many words and sometimes wide vocabulary, she almost immediately sees and understands it... and not just what i'm saying but more so as a result what needs to be said in response.. what i need to hear... not just to soothe and placate my feelings (which she always does so tenderly) but help me deal with the issue at hand.

Like a caring doctor (which she is) who listens intently to me (the patient) going on and on about my 'symptoms' with sometimes my own sense of what is wrong with me... only to come to a proper 'diagnosis' and arrive to a necessary plan of care and management while still addressing my concerns about the symptoms.

Sorry for the medical analogy... but that's how i can describe it.

i thank God for her and for her insight.

And the reason i'm saying this is because most people (well, at least those who don't know her well enough) totally miss this about her.

They have a casual conversation with her and they walk away not realising they just encountered brilliance ;)

Bao bei, i love you and i thank God for giving me a companion like you.
You have been a major instrument that God has been using (and i believe will continue to use) to mould and make me into the man He wants me to be.

thank you.