Last night I was leaving the hospital after pulling a 13-hour shift. I was tired, but I knew my day was far from over. I had three children six and under that I’d have to pick up from grandma’s house, but as with anything parenting related it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. We had one vehicle that could fit all our children in it, and since my husband had dropped them off that morning he still had said vehicle. Being a restaurant owner, he was still working when I left the hospital, and I was on my way to switch vehicles with him so I could get the kids home. Home where I’d give baths, get them ready for bed, probably feed them again, brush teeth. You get the story. Long night ahead after a long day.
But as I headed to our compact car I received a text from my husband.
Why don’t you just go home and relax. I’ll pick up the kids when I get off. 😘
Y’all, that sounded absolutely divine to me. A full hour to sit around on the couch after such a long day at the bedside performing patient care! Yes!
Here’s the thing, though. I knew my husband was tired too. He had gone to work just an hour after myself, and he’d put in his own thirteen hour shift. In fact, he worked more long shifts a week than I did. Yet here he was sacrificing his time so I could have a quiet moment. He knew that being mostly home with the children that I seldom got that quiet time, and I loved him all the more that he saw that.
When I got home I didn’t retire to the couch. Instead I stopped by the store on the way home for a missing ingredient for his favorite meal, and I spent that extra hour preparing dinner for when he walked in the door. I was tired, but I was also grateful for a spouse who helped me. Sometimes I did things for my husband I didn’t feel like doing, but then again so did he. There’s something about serving in love that makes something you don’t necessary feel like doing not so much of a chore. It actually makes it rewarding.
And when you can open your eyes to see beyond your own contributions to your marriage and family you’ll notice more readily what your partner puts forth. Thank God for teamwork!
We both slept in this morning.
By Brie Gowen
