So to the Cocolalla Blogger Family: How many of you tear up and feel tugs at your heartstrings reading Lyle's and the other accounts of the trip to Uganda? I for one, feel like I am dragging feet stuck in 12 inches of mud. My husband keeps talking about francophone Africa lately. Hmmm. It's hard not to catch the fire isn't it? Guilt, admiration, love, longing, fear, joy...it's amazing how what these women are doing is touching each of us way back here, too.
Life has been difficult in the Smith family lately (for us middle-class white Americans with a roof over our heads, clothing, heat and too much food. Can you tell the blogs from Uganda have affected me???) Tim has been working out of town from Sunday to Friday. This leaves one day for my husband and James' daddy to love his wife, love his boy, play with his boy, do laundry, re-pack food and clothes, get some yard work done, go on a date with wife, catch up on sleep, bemoan all of the things that going wrong with our house, etc. As you can imagine, it puts some strain on our marriage. He is tired exhausted and trying not to be grumpy.
We have had a few boxing matches. I am a single mom all week, and even though I am blessed to not work right now, it is really hard, and really lonely. Then daddy comes home and mommy has to change things a little, and mommy is not good at that.
Well, the boxing gloves were thrown in the locker this weekend. Yesterday was one of the most mundane life-in-the-suburbs-day imaginable. We woke up, relaxed and played with James until about 1 p.m. or so and it was just nice to relax. Then we donned the work gear, put James in the pack-n-play and got to work in the yard. We gabbed, James played and Tim put up with my ceaseless chatter for about three hours. Then we went out to dinner and had a great time.
Pretty mundane, really. And the best day I have had this spring.
Tim looked at me as he was dozing off last night and told me that he really had fun doing yard work with me and James today. That is something from the guy who hates yard work.
You know, things could be better. We could have more money, live in the country, have leisure time...but I have the love and commitment of a man I love deeply and a little boy whose love for me shines out of his eyes and makes me want to be better.
This stay-at-home, suburban nightmare mom cannot be any happier right now.
All I have to do is think about what the girls are doing right now and I tear up. Reading about it is even worse.
ReplyDeleteOur hardships are nothing... I hope I continue to remember that. Our kids have more clothes than they know what to do with and they are not out begging on the street for food.
We are blessed.