Super Dad
Evenings are when I miss Derick the most.
Evenings, when all of the responsibilities for the day are done. When dinner is eaten and the kids are absorbed in their own activities. When it's time to clean up and get ready for bed. I can physically feel his absence.
It's the company, and the help. Derick's primary love language is physical touch and closeness. Mine is acts of service. Derick loves hugs from his kids, or holding hands with me in the car. If someone in my family wants to tell me that they love me, I just want them to do their chores. When I come home after work and the kids have done what I asked them to do, that speaks directly to my heart!
Baseball season has started. Derick's season with the kids. This is the time of year that prompted me to step away from teaching cosmetology. This is the time of year that I have been the most nervous about during this deployment. My four children play on 5 baseball or softball teams. We have between 5 and 10 games a week. Sometimes 3 overlapping games at a time.
Derick turns into Super Dad during the summer. He volunteers to coach at least one team every summer. And if he only volunteers for one, sometimes he's asked to take on another team because the league is desperate for coaches! If he isn't the head coach, he is helping in anyway he can. He' the bench coach in the dugout. He is warming up the pitcher. He's keeping the score book. He is coaching first base. He's telling the kids to tuck their shirts in (you don't see the pros playing with their shirts hanging out!) and giving them pointers on swinging the bat.
Every Saturday from mid-May to mid-July, for most of our married life has been spent at the ball diamond. More recently for the past four years, I got up on Saturday morning and went to work, and he spent the day with the kids, watching and coaching baseball and softball. And they love him for it! This was their time with dad!
If I thought they missed their dad over the winter, summer magnifies those feelings. If there's a spectacular play, he's not here to see it. If there is a disappointing inning or a tough loss, dad's not here to console them. And he's not here to practice later in the back yard.
Overall this deployment has gone really well. And you gotta love modern technology! Derick and I get to talk on FaceTime almost everyday! It helps tremendously to see his face. I usually talk to him during my morning break and sometimes at lunch when I'm at work. The country where he is located is several hours ahead of our Central Standard Time. So when I get home from work, he is in bed.
This is the time, on a normal night, we may have a couple of beers together, sit outside on my porch swing and watch Netflix on his computer. I may ask for his help cleaning up the dinner, and he may pull me away from the kitchen sink to give me a much needed kiss at the end of a long day.
(He would probably make sure the kids were in the room so he could make a big display out of kissing their mother. Which would be immediately followed by eye-rolls from the older kids and giggles from the younger kids.)
I miss those kisses.
I miss the summer nights together.
I miss just sitting together. Being close to each other. Being in the same room, doing 2 totally different tasks.
I would not wish away this special summer that I have with my kids. But I am longing for the time when we can do this together again!
Evenings, when all of the responsibilities for the day are done. When dinner is eaten and the kids are absorbed in their own activities. When it's time to clean up and get ready for bed. I can physically feel his absence.
It's the company, and the help. Derick's primary love language is physical touch and closeness. Mine is acts of service. Derick loves hugs from his kids, or holding hands with me in the car. If someone in my family wants to tell me that they love me, I just want them to do their chores. When I come home after work and the kids have done what I asked them to do, that speaks directly to my heart!
Baseball season has started. Derick's season with the kids. This is the time of year that prompted me to step away from teaching cosmetology. This is the time of year that I have been the most nervous about during this deployment. My four children play on 5 baseball or softball teams. We have between 5 and 10 games a week. Sometimes 3 overlapping games at a time.
Christian playing left field
Derick turns into Super Dad during the summer. He volunteers to coach at least one team every summer. And if he only volunteers for one, sometimes he's asked to take on another team because the league is desperate for coaches! If he isn't the head coach, he is helping in anyway he can. He' the bench coach in the dugout. He is warming up the pitcher. He's keeping the score book. He is coaching first base. He's telling the kids to tuck their shirts in (you don't see the pros playing with their shirts hanging out!) and giving them pointers on swinging the bat.
Aida swinging the bat - she learns well!
Every Saturday from mid-May to mid-July, for most of our married life has been spent at the ball diamond. More recently for the past four years, I got up on Saturday morning and went to work, and he spent the day with the kids, watching and coaching baseball and softball. And they love him for it! This was their time with dad!
Al as catcher - his favorite!
If I thought they missed their dad over the winter, summer magnifies those feelings. If there's a spectacular play, he's not here to see it. If there is a disappointing inning or a tough loss, dad's not here to console them. And he's not here to practice later in the back yard.
Brody playing First Base
Overall this deployment has gone really well. And you gotta love modern technology! Derick and I get to talk on FaceTime almost everyday! It helps tremendously to see his face. I usually talk to him during my morning break and sometimes at lunch when I'm at work. The country where he is located is several hours ahead of our Central Standard Time. So when I get home from work, he is in bed.
This is the time, on a normal night, we may have a couple of beers together, sit outside on my porch swing and watch Netflix on his computer. I may ask for his help cleaning up the dinner, and he may pull me away from the kitchen sink to give me a much needed kiss at the end of a long day.
(He would probably make sure the kids were in the room so he could make a big display out of kissing their mother. Which would be immediately followed by eye-rolls from the older kids and giggles from the younger kids.)
I miss those kisses.
I miss the summer nights together.
I miss just sitting together. Being close to each other. Being in the same room, doing 2 totally different tasks.
I would not wish away this special summer that I have with my kids. But I am longing for the time when we can do this together again!
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