I am so grateful my family is back together. My husband arrived home last night from a long and exhausting trip back from England. Emotionally tired but excited at the same time having spent quality time with his family. Sad because he had to leave his mother when she is most vulnerable but happy he is home with us.
My children asked to wait up for their papa last night. They wanted to see his face before they went to bed. Wanted him to tuck them in for the night. Just so they could know he was back. That all was well and we were back as a family. Reassuring them he was safe. We were safe.
My daughter was in her room reading when she came rushing through to say she could hear her papa pulling his luggage up the steps. She got to the front door before I could answer yelling, "Papa’s home". She opened the door for him, rushing into his arms. I let her have her moment with her papa before I came out to greet my husband.
His face was filled with joy as my daughter embraced him. My heart melted with the pure and unconditional love that was pouring out of her into him. Her eyes were closed and she was hugging her papa. He looked up as he heard me come and our love connected in the distance. We hugged and as we did, our son came out. My husband embracing him next. Of course our thirteen year old soon to be fourteen year old couldn't hug him as long as we could because of the awkward stage he is in right now but he was truly happy to see his papa as well. I could see it in his eyes. Our energy as a family was electric.
A new sense of love flowing through us all. A new sense of appreciation for the love and life we share with all the deaths and changes occurring around us. We stood as a family for a bit taking in all that we have. My husband looking from me to our daughter to our son. Noticing our children have grown in the seven days he was gone.
And then we went back to our normal routines. Tucking our children in. Going back to being a family connected physically together. Grateful for our family unit and the love we share. I wrote in my grateful journal last night that I was so grateful that my husband was home and I was so grateful that we have reached a new level of love and understanding now that he has experienced loss as I have many years before.
Teaching us to appreciate that love is not something to take for granted and neither is life. Illustrating for us that we must appreciate each moment we have because we never know whether this moment will be our last. Knowing we are raising our children to walk away from us so we have to appreciate the time we have with them.
Particularly after I asked my husband if he was sad to leave his mother and his response was, “Yes but I can’t stay with her forever. I left home a long time ago and I have new responsibilities now.” That struck a chord with me because soon our children will be leaving us and our family unit will physically change but if we nurture the love, appreciation and respect between us, we will always remain spiritually connected no matter where we are. Because love spans more than the physical. And so does family when nurtured and appreciated. Namaste.
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