The Clear Head

One Wednesday afternoon, several years ago, Tim came home from work about 5:15 which was typical. He told me upon his arrival that he was going to go for an afternoon run (about 2 miles) before dinner and church. Our Wednesday evening church services at that time started at 7 p.m.. In a somewhat spirited way, my response to him was, "Uh-uh! I don't think so! We do not have time for you to run 2 miles, eat dinner, and get a shower before we have to leave for church. There are just too many things to do on Wednesday afternoon for you to go jogging." Tim then replied, "Well, I just wanted to clear my head for a while." After having a somewhat difficult day with 4 children at home, I replied, "A clear head? A clear head? What right do you have to a clear head? NOBODY around here has a clear head!" ha!

Note to readers - At that time in my younger adult life, it could probably be said of me that I was a little bit more animated, a little bit more high strung, a little less patient than I am now. I'm confident that I overstepped my boundaries at times with Tim out of lack of patience and general frustrations of being a mom with 4kids. That's something that I'm not please about. But Tim and I have lived to laugh about some of those past frustrations and have remained happily married for 27 years because of his patience.

Tim reminded me often that I had the most difficult job there was, that of being a mom. If you are one, you can relate. It's a difficult, 24/7 job. You never get away from it...but 99.99999999% of the time, you wouldn't change it for the world. It's just where you want to be. If you're not a mom, but are married to one, take some time to let her know how important her job is. When she's having those days that are frustrating, encourage her in her role. Trust me, she needs encouragement just as you do. Realize that you and the kids are her cheering squad and it just might be that if she doesn't get it from you, she won't get it at all. You'll be surprised what a little "propping up" can do for her overall outlook on not only today but tomorrow.