When we had Carly, everything in life came to a screeching halt; well except for work. We sort of developed this mentality that the sacrifice for having a healthy family (speaking in an emotional health way) simply meant giving family 100% of our non-working time. It was so difficult for us to find the balance between family time, couple time & individual time...we just couldn't seem to do it all. And by "we" I suppose I mean "me." Since my poor husband has to deal with a wife who struggles with balance in the first place and then a wife who was facing post-partum depression, Brian essentially succumbed to my need for him to give up hope of any extra-curricular activities so that he was available to his family. Being the wonderful man he is, he never complained and actually agreed, reminding me that "this is the season we are in right now...and that's okay."
But oh how I envied the moms who could say yes to the occasional girls night, a quick coffee date, a morning run, a weekend get-a-way or for Heaven's sake a date night with their husband! And I'm sure he missed golfing on any sort of regular basis, the occasional poker night, watching sports uninterrupted...and even playing video games. But there was no way under the sun with our crazy work schedules, lack of family support (proximity-wise) and fear of not pouring enough of ourselves into our marriage or our parenting that I was going to have time for a ladies Bible Study...or that Brian would have time to join the church softball team.
Funny how seasons come and go. In the midst of it; even something as simple as what I've described above; from the inside appears that you'll be stuck in that season for the rest of time...or at least until the smallest in the family is in high school.
But here we are, a new job for Brian that has given him an extra 10-15 hours/week that he's NOT at work, children who are no longer babies, a church down the street and a community of friends to share life with, and all of a sudden we are saying yes to things we wouldn't have dreamed saying yes to even one year ago. Every Monday night Brian plays in a Parks & Rec Softball league. And every Wednesday morning I attend a women's Bible Study. How we've grown in the past 4 years: it's a big deal.
So this jersey makes my heart happy. It represents a new season of flexibility and opportunity; at least for now.
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