I am sitting here surrounded by piles of laundry and in the midst of mopping away the weekly grime while Lu is at dance class. The shelves in my refrigerator are empty, there are fingerprints everywhere, and I know I have appointments and check-ups galore that I need to check my calendar to make sure I don't forget.
But I must sit here for a minute and reflect. Because here amidst the dirt and piles of mail and disorganization my heart is filled right to the very brim.
I am home. And Dave's home. And I got to snuggle him and all the kids up and hold them tight last night and this morning. We are all here in one spot.
And there's not another airplane trip in sight.
I have been out of town for thirteen of the last eighteen days.
Dave has been gone nineteen of the last thirty.
Part of those days away we overlapped.
I was in London while he was in China. We were both home one day before I had to leave again for Utah. We both returned from Washington D.C. together last night. The stories and rich epiphanies we both gained are invaluable and will have to be told another day.
But how the richness of those experiences made me appreciate the commonplace richness of an ordinary day here at home.
Those days when I can go volunteer at the school and have snacks ready for my children after school. Those days when I can sit on the piano bench to help the kids with their piano lessons and even those moments when everyone is fighting and I realize I have the power as their mother to bring peace. I'm so grateful that my presence here means I can crouch down on their level and look into their eyes and tell them I love them from deep within my heart.
The gift of the mundane "ordinary" day is so easy to take advantage of and get frustrated with until you leave it behind for a while. Then you ache for those inside jokes you and your husband share over the dinner table, the late-night tuck-ins for teenagers, the stories the children bring home from school ready to spill out. You even miss the teasing and the crazy carpools.
Because that stuff means you are a mother. And a wife. And sometimes in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life that is too easy to take advantage of.
Although I know we were missed, the kids have been pleased as punch about the array of friends, babysitters, and family who have stepped in to help out, especially since my brother and his wife and their new sweet baby visiting from NYC have been the latest and greatest of the "helpers." It makes me want to cry just thinking about how grateful I am for such a support group and for their love and support. I'm also so grateful that our kids had the chance to step it up in the responsibility category and really help take care of each other.
But mostly I'm just happy that we are home. All together.
How I love it here.
And how blessed I feel to have the opportunities I've had over the last few weeks. In our planning, Dave and I knew those experiences would work together to make our family stronger despite the time away they required.
But even more, how blessed I feel to be a mother...and to be home for the "ordinary days" that tend to get "extraordinary" around the end of the school year. Bring them on. I am ready.
(Especially since I'm armed with smoothie recipes galore {HERE} to give us all the energy it will take! Thank you for those!!)
Some day I will get caught up weaving together the stories and pictures of my adventures away but for now, I'm off to enjoy the chance I have to change the laundry and mop the floor...and watch Lu at swim class. :)