First of all, let me say it’s very self-centered of the South Carolina government to send all employees back to their at-work offices over the weekend of Daylight Savings Time. Things are already off-kilter, so why compound the issue by removing the work-from-home paternal figure?
Ahem.
Second…I can’t believe it’s been a year.
I can barely remember my husband getting up early, putting on his khakis, and not returning until I was cooking dinner. Like, what did I do with these children all day? By myself?
(I’ve been a bit spoiled by him being at home so long.)
It’s 11 a.m., and there was a kid-on-kid spat. I waited a second, realized there wasn’t going to be footsteps and a deep “What’s going on?”, and had to handle it myself. I’m unsure if I like this change in programming.
Then again, there is something new in the air. And, no, I’m not talking about pollen.
It’s almost the same excitement as summer break or the first hint of fall chill.
Something is changing.
And the Hubs returning to the office reflects that, I do believe.
Yesterday, we got his new parking pass in the mail. (His old one expired and he hadn’t re-upped it since, well, we’ve had to make a point to drive his car so the battery wouldn’t die from living in our garage for so long). He dealt with replacing the old one while the kids and I came inside. After a moment, the kiddos noticed he was missing. I explained what he was doing and why he was doing it.
Me: “Dada has to go back to work tomorrow. Coronavirus is kind of over!” (Semi-truth, but I was explaining myself to tiny people.)
Children pause in contemplation.
Six-year-old George: “I like him being upstairs better.” (The work-from-home command center is in our bedroom.)
Four-year-old Olivia starts jumping up and down, hands in the air. “We can go get my brother!”
OK, she didn’t actually say “my brother.” She said the name of the boy we’re adopting from China. (I’ll have to give him a nickname at another time. FYI: George and Olivia are also pseudonyms. More on that here.)
I couldn’t believe how quickly her thoughts lined up. She went from a new parking pass to international travel in like nine seconds. It was amazing.
After that, I felt a little better about my husband returning to work. For our family, going back to “normal” is more than just having friends over or going to a movie theater. It’s more than ditching these stupid masks or fretting about a vaccine. We get to grow our family.
I haven’t once doubted God’s control in this totally bizarre, worldwide pandemic. I believe his plan is bigger and better than the one I could have concocted. I can’t wait to look back and see what it was.
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Currently Reading:
If you follow my Instagram, you’ll see my current love of all things Lynn Blackburn and all things Christian suspense (not my typical fare). I’m breathlessly consuming Blackburn’s One Final Breath, and I can’t wait to write a post about it!