The other day I found myself thinking about how incredibly blessed I am to have such a wonderful best friend in my sweet husband. Yes, he works incredibly hard, but I'm continually amazed at his ability to balance all the responsibilities and stresses without any complaining or attempts to claim martyrdom. He doesn't typically walk in the door at 5, but I can usually expect to see him by 5:45 on most days. Last Friday, he got home at 7, and then grilled steaks for the two of us to eat for dinner. After all, that had been the plan earlier. I offered an alternative, but he refused and happily headed to the grill. Of course, one might say since leftovers were the alternative...it wasn't really a choice now was it? I know he wasn't happy to be arriving home a mere 90 minutes before bedtime for the boys, but he didn't show it.
I go through phases/cycles when I'm sure I can be pretty frustrating to live with. These can often cycle along with whatever stage the boys are going through. Is it a particularly difficult phase? Maybe it's a day that Sam is refusing to use any word other than 'no.' Perhaps Jack has determined that 12 minutes in his room is a sufficient rest time. So, when Daddy walks in the door to basically "save the day," I'm typically thrilled to see him. Other times I can be frustrated at how long it has taken for him to get home or that the boys go into berserk-er mode when Dad gets home. I can get super irritated when he has to turn around and walk back out the door 30 minutes later for a meeting. I like to think that I've gotten a little better at not getting so frustrated at having to share my best friend. But even if some nights we only get a couple of hours together, just like on Friday night, he is giving us his best. On days when I'm spent, I'm ready to check out about the time dinner rolls around. I'm sure he feels the same way, but he walks in the door and gives us his all. We don't get leftovers. He leaves all that other stuff behind. He carries the weight of so many responsibilities, but wouldn't dare think of having us see that load.
I guess I just wanted him to know that I know not just how hard he works, but that I know he strives to give his family his best each and every moment. So, here's a little shout out to my husband. Thanks for putting up with me when I'm not so good at sharing you. I know my frustrations don't make it any easier for you. I hope I've done better at being your encourager and cheerleader rather than a nagger, because I'm definitely your biggest fan! I love you!
4 comments:
I am sure he is flattered by your comments and humbled by your kind words. I am also certain he is acutely aware of how wonderful you are as his wife and mother to his kids.
It should not be lost on you either, that I'm sure he would rather be at home than at work or at meetings. Also, it is probably easier for him to be pleasant when he gets home because of how wonderful you are.
We should make sure he reads this post. I'll probably call him and wake him up right now.
So, so sweet, and very well said! I feel the same way about Jeff too, and I sometimes don't want to "have to" share him either. I often get frustrated when he has one more thing to do because I would rather have him home! I guess this is a good thing that we love our husbands so much and value the time we have together! Thanks for voicing what many of us feel! (Also thanks for voting on the pumpkins)
So sweet! I so could have written this post myself. We all feel this way, especially if we have small children at home.
What a sweet thing to blog about!!! You picked a good one Laura!
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