Sacrifices

I'm sitting here alone. My husband is off on a mission, my son is at school. Then he will go to a friend's house to spend the night. I, on the other hand, have to work later. I feel like they've left me behind. I do not like this feeling. It is only exacerbated by the fact that in November, my Chris will be riding onto a stage with Lee Greenwood on the back of his bike. Um, hello, in case Mr. Greenwood doesn't know, that's MY spot. AND I HAVE TO WORK. So I can't go.

GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE

STOMP STOMP STOMP

POUT POUT POUT

And if all that wasn't bad enough, I can't take Kade to Halloween party at church, because I'm working. I will be working on my anniversary -- you know, the magical day where everyone celebrates my anniversary by dressing up in scary costumes. The good thing is that I will get off early enough to get an anniversary dinner in there. Still, it's going to be hard to fit trick-or-treating in the same night. Add that to the fact that I will be missing a parent-teacher conference at school, as well. I've never missed one of those! Because who doesn't like hearing how great your kid is? So Chris gets to do that instead. He will never ask all the right questions, sigh.

And really, it's all about control. I am used to controlling certain situations that I can now no longer control. I have to let it go. Let Chris take on some of my responsibilities. But it's hard. Last night, I came home to find dishes backed up on both sides of the sink, down the counters and onto the stove. I have to tell myself, "Ari, you told them not to touch the dishes, because you were afraid they'd load them into the dishwasher incorrectly." So I did them all, cursing myself the entire time. Then, in Cub Scouts, they began learning different knots. It really got to me that Chris was able to teach Kade in a matter of minutes, when I had all that trouble with Kade tieing his shoes.

But you know what? After all is said and done, when I come home from work, I hear footsteps pounding down the stairs. I see an overjoyed kid, who wraps his arms around me. We tell that we missed each other. We are still adjusting to the separation, Kade and I. My Chris makes sure I have cold Mt. Dew. My Kade offers to massage my feet. AND HE DOES! The other night, he even kissed one and I have to say, it was the sweetest thing I ever witnessed. So what if I have to make a few sacrifices here and there? It all evens out in the end.