Dear Rachel,
This week I honestly contemplated not writing a post because I wasn't sure if we wanted to relive it. It was not our most graceful week. But I did see you consistently bring love, peace and happiness despite the difficulties that we had. Your patience, compassion and calm nature helped make this week a successful one instead of a complete nightmare.
This week started with our car developing problems, and while your quick decisions to replace it with a new and upgraded model do give me some concern about how I would be treated should I develop expensive complications, it also allowed us not have it consume our lives for very long. I remember in the past, we have looked for cars and it felt like every conversation we had for weeks was about a vehicle and every free moment we found was spent test driving, researching and haggling. I know we are in a different place in life now, but it certainly seemed less painful this time and I know a lot of that is because of the effort you put in.
We also had a death virus traveling around our house. I was amazed with the entire feeling of service that enveloped our home. I had plans of hiding out in the bedroom dressing a poncho to protect me from flying regurgitation and waiting until the devastation had passed, but you were our in the line of fire cleaning, catering and showing empathy. While it was not a fun week, I did not feel the life sucking despair that i should have felt under these circumstances. The kids that were not sick seemed to pitch in more and really wanted to be part of the care giving. Even Carter, who resembled a holocaust victim, seemed to be filled with charity. He had not kept anything down for days and was so thirsty that he carried around a cup of water to give to any other non-nauseated observer who may need some liquid refreshment. He spent the week hugging us and saying " I love you". It was so sweet, and i know it was because of your example and compassion that you showed him.
I love you more every day.
Love Brandon
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Dear Rachel,
I am so glad to have you home again. This week was spring break and you went to Idaho for a few days. The week went by quickly but, also, it somehow felt like you were gone way longer than a few days. Even when you are supposed to be on vacation, you somehow find a way to bring love peace and happiness to our home.
First, you planned so many things for us to do at home to ensure we would not have a boring time. You researched out movies that were playing, activities that others were doing so we could coordinate, and stocked us full on food. You set the stage for a great spring break, then let others take all the credit and have the memories. That is truly selfless and we love you for that.
All week, I also noticed things that were missing from our home. The loving bedtimes is not something I can ever replace. Every night as the kids got in bed there was the lacking of your calming presence. even when things went great and everyone was cooperating, it was still a time that your absence was noticed. We all just felt like something was missing from bedtime.
We also were well aware of the glaring hole in my creativity. You have this wonderful ability to take the activity we are doing and turn it into the most exciting event of the year. We had a great time camping in the backyard, but I couldn't help but think that if you were there, you would have actually created a forest in the backyard, or somehow bused in a herd of deer to graze on our lawn so we could experience nature. You have unparalleled creativity that makes bad events good, and good events unforgettable. I honestly tried to take enough pictures to capture the day we had at Palo Duro canyon. I felt like I was taking pictures every chance I got and I was excited to look back though them to relive our exciting adventures. What I discovered is that my relentless photography turned out to be half a dozen snap shots and the rest, ( probably no more that 20) were repeats, bloopers, or unrecognizable shadows. I have tried to talk about it as much as I can to ensure that the kids remember it, since there is not the beautiful masterful mosaic of art that usually sums up our outings. We are so excited to have you home and so blessed to have you as a loving, peaceful, happy part of our family.
I love you,
Brandon
I am so glad to have you home again. This week was spring break and you went to Idaho for a few days. The week went by quickly but, also, it somehow felt like you were gone way longer than a few days. Even when you are supposed to be on vacation, you somehow find a way to bring love peace and happiness to our home.
First, you planned so many things for us to do at home to ensure we would not have a boring time. You researched out movies that were playing, activities that others were doing so we could coordinate, and stocked us full on food. You set the stage for a great spring break, then let others take all the credit and have the memories. That is truly selfless and we love you for that.
All week, I also noticed things that were missing from our home. The loving bedtimes is not something I can ever replace. Every night as the kids got in bed there was the lacking of your calming presence. even when things went great and everyone was cooperating, it was still a time that your absence was noticed. We all just felt like something was missing from bedtime.
We also were well aware of the glaring hole in my creativity. You have this wonderful ability to take the activity we are doing and turn it into the most exciting event of the year. We had a great time camping in the backyard, but I couldn't help but think that if you were there, you would have actually created a forest in the backyard, or somehow bused in a herd of deer to graze on our lawn so we could experience nature. You have unparalleled creativity that makes bad events good, and good events unforgettable. I honestly tried to take enough pictures to capture the day we had at Palo Duro canyon. I felt like I was taking pictures every chance I got and I was excited to look back though them to relive our exciting adventures. What I discovered is that my relentless photography turned out to be half a dozen snap shots and the rest, ( probably no more that 20) were repeats, bloopers, or unrecognizable shadows. I have tried to talk about it as much as I can to ensure that the kids remember it, since there is not the beautiful masterful mosaic of art that usually sums up our outings. We are so excited to have you home and so blessed to have you as a loving, peaceful, happy part of our family.
I love you,
Brandon
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Dear Rachel,
This is your birthday week, and while I debated including this post as part of a birthday present, I decided against it. The reality is that I have thought a lot this week about how blessed I am and how you really make my life better in every way. I have written notes and birthday cards saying some of that and I don't want to get repetitive but I want you to know how special you are. This week I have noticed you bring love, peace and happiness into our home by your calming attitude. You are good at not reacting to the overreactions that sometimes occur in our home.
For example, this week one of our children who will remain nameless has become way too emotional about everyday events. I have seen her(still keeping her nameless) burst into tears about the the weather, the day of the week it is, location of pens around the house and countless other near earth ending catastrophes. I have become very good and escalating these events to within inches of the spontaneous combustion of the entire universe, sometimes by simply asking if it is worth getting worked up over. You, however, have found ways to deal with this in a much less psychologically damaging manner.
Your calming presence allows all of our kids a chance to calm down and evaluate the situation. I have seen you, over the last few weeks, make a special effort to avoid contention and promote the spirit in our home. You have changed the subject, offered alternative choices, and helped focus on positive energy with each of the kids this week to keep peace in our home.
Thank you for looking for ways to ensure that our family learns ways to keep peace in our home. That is a skill that will serve all of us through out our lives and I want to thank you again for all of your efforts.
I love you,
Brandon.
This is your birthday week, and while I debated including this post as part of a birthday present, I decided against it. The reality is that I have thought a lot this week about how blessed I am and how you really make my life better in every way. I have written notes and birthday cards saying some of that and I don't want to get repetitive but I want you to know how special you are. This week I have noticed you bring love, peace and happiness into our home by your calming attitude. You are good at not reacting to the overreactions that sometimes occur in our home.
For example, this week one of our children who will remain nameless has become way too emotional about everyday events. I have seen her(still keeping her nameless) burst into tears about the the weather, the day of the week it is, location of pens around the house and countless other near earth ending catastrophes. I have become very good and escalating these events to within inches of the spontaneous combustion of the entire universe, sometimes by simply asking if it is worth getting worked up over. You, however, have found ways to deal with this in a much less psychologically damaging manner.
Your calming presence allows all of our kids a chance to calm down and evaluate the situation. I have seen you, over the last few weeks, make a special effort to avoid contention and promote the spirit in our home. You have changed the subject, offered alternative choices, and helped focus on positive energy with each of the kids this week to keep peace in our home.
Thank you for looking for ways to ensure that our family learns ways to keep peace in our home. That is a skill that will serve all of us through out our lives and I want to thank you again for all of your efforts.
I love you,
Brandon.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Dear Rachel,
As I sit down to write this, my mind is flooded with the 1.6 million things that we have going on this week. I then reflect on the equally overwhelming number of activities that we have overcome this past week and I come to the horrifying conclusion that life is not slowing down. I feel like we have major events going on every weekend and the closest thing we get to a break is the car ride from one place to another. This week, at one point, I had the thought that my 100 mile race was just a feeble attempt to get me in shape to survive life. Now, I do not write all of this to give you a coronary event as the frightening responsibilities of loom in the future. I write this because it demonstrates the quality of yours that I noticed this week that bring love peace and happiness to our awesome family. YOU ARE A HARD WORKER!!
Since day one of being married you have embraced the workload that has come to be a mundane part of our life. You went to school, worked at a call center, managed our bills and home, all the while being pregnant. I remember at the time foolishly thinking that life would be easier when it slowed down. Since then, you have supported me through med school, residency, owning and running a business and having 5 kids. Daily I tell people that I have 5 children, and I love to see the unbelieving reactions, double takes, and pitying respect as every one of them responds the same way. " you sure are busy" they all say. The only thing I love more, is that I get to tell them that I have an awesome wife who is really the busy one and that she takes on all these tasks with such grace that it would blow their minds.
This week in particular I noticed your hard work. There were several nights that you had a hard time sleeping. You were up before 4 am and the tossing and turning sadly became the most relaxing time of the day. You spent the days helping kids with homework, doing the business side of the practice, and making sure everyone had warm meals, I know that some days feel like chaos, but I want you to know how much better you make the days. I hope you know that your hard work does not go unnoticed. I appreciate every activity that you undertake to help life run smoothly; I recognize every job you perform when you would much rather collapse in an exhausted heap on the couch, and I stand in awe of every day that you accomplish more than I ever thought possible. I love you so much.
Brandon
As I sit down to write this, my mind is flooded with the 1.6 million things that we have going on this week. I then reflect on the equally overwhelming number of activities that we have overcome this past week and I come to the horrifying conclusion that life is not slowing down. I feel like we have major events going on every weekend and the closest thing we get to a break is the car ride from one place to another. This week, at one point, I had the thought that my 100 mile race was just a feeble attempt to get me in shape to survive life. Now, I do not write all of this to give you a coronary event as the frightening responsibilities of loom in the future. I write this because it demonstrates the quality of yours that I noticed this week that bring love peace and happiness to our awesome family. YOU ARE A HARD WORKER!!
Since day one of being married you have embraced the workload that has come to be a mundane part of our life. You went to school, worked at a call center, managed our bills and home, all the while being pregnant. I remember at the time foolishly thinking that life would be easier when it slowed down. Since then, you have supported me through med school, residency, owning and running a business and having 5 kids. Daily I tell people that I have 5 children, and I love to see the unbelieving reactions, double takes, and pitying respect as every one of them responds the same way. " you sure are busy" they all say. The only thing I love more, is that I get to tell them that I have an awesome wife who is really the busy one and that she takes on all these tasks with such grace that it would blow their minds.
This week in particular I noticed your hard work. There were several nights that you had a hard time sleeping. You were up before 4 am and the tossing and turning sadly became the most relaxing time of the day. You spent the days helping kids with homework, doing the business side of the practice, and making sure everyone had warm meals, I know that some days feel like chaos, but I want you to know how much better you make the days. I hope you know that your hard work does not go unnoticed. I appreciate every activity that you undertake to help life run smoothly; I recognize every job you perform when you would much rather collapse in an exhausted heap on the couch, and I stand in awe of every day that you accomplish more than I ever thought possible. I love you so much.
Brandon
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