Fortunate

Yesterday was a tough day, and when I finally got home around 9:00 p.m. I was exhausted both mentally and physically. My presentation at the evening meeting went well. My committee really pulled together and did a great job, exemplifying what teamwork is all about. That was a bright spot, but it was also difficult to carry on as if nothing unusual had happened at work. I did so, not only because of confidentiality issues but also because it is just easier for me at times to carry on as usual rather than to explain how much events such as these affect me.

When I pulled in to my garage, I had that brief moment of wondering what would be going on once I arrived inside. I grabbed a Coke Zero from the garage fridge and headed in to find out. I was greeted by Soccer Boy and Swim Chick who both had their homework done. Then Gym Girl came down to say hello. Finally, I asked, "Where's your dad?" and was told that he was in the living room. When I walked in I saw that he was busy wrapping Christmas presents.

Adventure Guy's parents are divorced, and we do not visit his father at Christmas. Instead, we send presents by mail, and in his case through Amazon. To make it easier, he asks us to create a wish list and then has everything shipped directly to us. It's wonderful, and he's very generous. The downside? Our presents arrive unwrapped because the wrapping fee on Amazon is ridiculous, and the wrapping is not exactly what I'd call lovely anyway. The last two years, I ended up wrapping all of Adventure Guy's presents from his dad as well as my own presents. Not much of a surprise on Christmas morning, there!

So, last night, Adventure Guy knew I had had a rough day, and he knew I had planned to wrap the gifts to put under the tree. When I arrived home, I had a beautiful pile of gifts wrapped and ready for Christmas. I can't begin to describe how much his gesture meant to me. While I've never been one to turn down a nice piece of jewelry or other more extravagant demonstrations of affection, I believe that it's the smaller, day-to-day kindnesses that make a real difference in a marriage. His taking time to do this to me made me feel cared for and appreciated on a day I really needed it.