 |
| Gleaning apples in Washington |
He'll be in the summer cornfields of Chile, while I remain in the frozen wastes of Iowa.
And yes, he left on Valentine's Day.
But you know what?
I'm not bothered at all.
He's missed my birthday most years, along with our anniversary, and Valentine's Day.
Name a traditional "lovers'" holiday and he's likely missed it.
I've not always been so sanguine about his travel.
Mostly this was due to the difficulty of managing the heavy load of child-rearing alone, though I did carry a nice little backpack full of personal resentment for a number of years.
It was maybe 10 years ago or so that I realized those "special" days are not important, not really. It's the day-to-day living of a life together, the give and take, the appreciation and love, that is shown through daily actions that really matters.
Sometimes during a lull in my day I'll suddenly feel overwhelmed by how much I am cherished by this incredible man. He's seen me through depression and anxiety, never faltered as a father to children with severe mental illnesses, and is always willing to do the dishes.
He's put up with a menagerie of pets through the years; not because he wanted rats, cats, mice, guinea pigs, or dogs, in the house, but because he knew how vital pets are to myself and our children. He helps me can and freeze more food than we could possibly eat in a season just because he knows I'll worry if we don't, and despite the fact that I'll worry about how we will ever eat it all when we do.
He'll vacuum and clean, make the coffee every morning, glean fruit from public trees, brush snarling cats, and pay exorbitantly for doggie daycare; all because of and for me.
Well, he'd probably make the coffee anyway, but you know what I mean.
But I believe true love is found in the small things; the sharing of a laugh, the holding of a hand, the give and take of a life spent together.
It's in these daily gestures of caring that true love resides.
Hurry home, honey.
I miss you.
No comments:
Post a Comment