Absence makes the heart...

I've just returned from the airport where I left my dear husband after a record-breaking awful weekend. I'm feeling sad, sorry, and angry myself. As I drove the familiar route home with the sunset blinding me in the rear view mirror, I thought of a million things to thank my spouse for, things I was thinking when he asked me "What are you thinking about?" and I said nothing--not knowing how to explain the chaos in my mind. So here goes.

Thank you for driving 18 hours in a 48 hour period so you could spend time with the girls and me.

Thank you for sitting with our wriggling tw0-year old through a two-and-a-half hour play while I enjoyed it with a child free lap.

Thank you for dressing up as a gambler for the silly photos we took in Jackson. It really meant a lot to me that you were willing to participate in re-creating a photo from my childhood.

Thank you for NOT listening to public radio while driving to the airport. Sometimes silence is best.

Thank you for taking our girls and their cousin swimming while I buried myself in a tomb of towels. I just couldn't face you or their high pitched squeals while they played shark in the kiddy pool.

Thank you for sleeping in a tent with my brother while I enjoyed the warmth and comfort of the RV.

Thank you for detouring to Little America. The 50 cent ice-cream cones and the quiet of the drive helped me calm down after our numerous quarrels.

Thank you for not dying while driving to meet us, and forgive me for being so hard on you for not calling to let me know you were okay.

Thank you for putting up with my outbreak of tears this morning. I'm feeling overwhelmed by our move to California. Somehow it's just as hard to move to close to home as it is to be far away.

Be safe. Be good. Let's start over next weekend when you come to visit for the weekend.