Do you know what it's like for someone to really see you? Truly recognize, value, and make important your thoughts or desires? I do. Last weekend, I had hoped to go to Gardner Village to see the witches. Of course, I was going to take Jonas as my excuse to go (and so that I had a buddy), but things came up. Jonas got invited to a friend's baptism then the older boys wanted to take the boat out (which didn't happen...but...). It seemed like requests from others were piling up and I felt like, once again, I was putting my desires aside to accommodate someone else's. During a brief phone call, I lamented to Jeff about how I felt. I recognized that it really wasn't the end of the world if I didn't get to see the witches, but I felt bummed...and I felt unseen. As adults, there are so many times that we set aside our own wants or needs on behalf of our children...or even spouses. Many times, that is the right thing to do, but it can be exhausting...and it can leave one feeling under appreciated and invisible...maybe even a bit like a robot whose only program is to serve everyone else. Fast forward a few days and Jeff asked me what my schedule was on Tuesday (October 11th). Usually those days are more flexible than other days so when he told me that he had a single female client in need of some help, I agreed to tag along so there was no insinuation of anything improper. I didn't even question the story. It is very much like my husband to go above and beyond for someone. It is not unlike him to help someone if he knows there's a need. As we were driving to what I assumed was her house, he took a turn toward Gardner Village then revealed that the woman he needed to help today was me. At first I didn't understand then he elaborated that there was no client, just me. He wanted to take me to lunch and to see the witches. I just started to cry. I felt seen. I felt important. I felt loved. Jeff has always been my biggest champion. He sees the good and the bad and everything in between in me, but this was special. I know he doesn't care about the witches, but they were important to me...so he made them important to him. He didn't even complain or teasingly mock me as I pulled up the Witch Scavenger Hunt on my phone and set out to find all of them. He just loved me. He held my hand and walked by my side. He even posed for a picture. That is the kind of person you can love for eternity. I'm not sure he really knows how much his small sacrifice meant to me, but I am grateful that I have an eternity of todays and tomorrows to see him, to make sure he knows he's important, to love him.
On Wednesday (October 12th), I got Jonas out of school a little early to participate in another fall tradition: the Scarecrow Festival. We met up with the Tanners and also celebrated Nolan and Camden's birthdays with gifts and donuts. We had so much fun racing around the gardens looking at all the unique scarecrows. Our favorite was the Chick-fil-A one. I can't believe how quickly we've checked off all our fall bucket list items. I love celebrating fall!..and maybe we'll get a chance to squeeze in another fall fun activity. Who knows?
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