i wish you could have stayed home with us today. i would have enjoyed serving you our morning oatmeal with raisin toast on the side. you would have enjoyed watching b mop the kitchen floor and sing. you could have read 'curious george gets a job' to a. i would have stolen a few kisses from you as i went through the house tidying up. you missed seeing b negotiate what to put on his new minioffice and type up a hundred board on the mac. i wish you could have watched f carefully color with a pencil saying '8....2....8....'. we would have caught each other's eye when the giggling broke out down the hall as the kids 'brushed their teeth'. how you would have laughed at the kids careful handling of their allowance distribution. you would have been impressed with the tiny cubes s made out of her graph paper after an geometry lesson. i mean tiny! we could have sat together talking about plans for the house and yard while the kids had quiet time. we could even have taken a nap together in our messy room. i would have made you sour cream sugar cookies for an afternoon snack. you would have said to yourself, 'i'm proud of that girl i married' as you noted the patience in my voice when i answered a's 500th question of the day.
instead i know you are working hard. reading briefs. answering phone calls. writing and typing. i hope you eat your lunch before 3. i hope you have a few minutes to go outside and look at the trees. i hope you know there is a prayer in my heart all day for you. and when you come home tonight at 11, after a strenuous soccer game which your team will probably loose, i hope you know i will be waiting to hear your thoughts and experiences of the day, tell you that you don't smell at all, and rub your neck. because 16 years ago i knew that no matter what happened, getting married to you would be the best choice i ever made.
