Apart

Oh Tommy, I hate it when you're away on business trips! I'm sorry I take it out on you, even though it is your responsibility to do it and your mainly doing it for us to bring home a paycheck. I guess I have to admit it's not your fault that you're away but I hate it when you're gone!

I love it when you're home. I love that you'll come home and keep the kids out of my hair while I am making dinner, how you'll hold Rainier the rest of the evening so I can get a little break from our cute baby. I love how you change his diapers when you're home and get him ready for bed, it's so nice after changing 16.9 diapers a day not to have to do one or two. I love how you tease the girls about their teachers eating paste, and I love it when you help clean up after dinner and do dishes. I love that you're so helpful when your home. I hate it when you're gone.

I love it when you come home and tell me all about your day. I love that you talk about derivatives and stocks, about the libor and federal rate cuts, and you do it with such enthusiasm. Then I shake my head in a daze not really catching on to all of it but you still want to share your day with me. I love it when you ask me about my day and act interested when I tell you I got the best bargain on some cute clothes, or tell you about the latest drama with the girls. I love that you'll watch my dumb decorating shows with me and comment on all the kooky people on it, you always have something funny to say. I hate it when you're gone.

I love it that you help me get the girls to bed, that you'll read scriptures and insist that we stop on the top side of the other page while I like to end at the bottom of the page read. I love that you encourage the girls to pray, and teach them how to think it through and say meaningful prayers. I love that you rub my back every night to help me fall asleep and I love that you won't turn on the main lights to get ready when you're up so early to go to work. It's so kind of you to shave in the closet. I love how sometimes I wake up to go to the bathroom and I see you kneeling in our closet saying prayer, and I love how you'll wake me up out of my comatose state to say prayers and give me a kiss before you leave. I hate it when you're gone.

Thanks for calling me so many times when you're away to check on me, to let me know you made it to the airport, that you're waiting for your flight to leave, that you've landed and that you're on to your next destination. Thanks for calling to say goodnight to the girls and not being mad when I tell you I already put them to bed 'because they needed it.' Thanks for calling to say goodnight, even though I already talked to you twenty minutes before and thanks for calling to check in on me in the morning. Thanks for not being upset because I called you at 1:30 in the morning to tell you I couldn't get the baby to sleep. You could have said "What am I supposed to do about that here." But you didn't, you were kind and sympathetic, you gave me good suggestions, and you know what they worked, the bugger went to bed after I talked to you. Thank you for being my balance. I love you. I hate being apart. I'll see you tonight.