The last five to six months have been some of the strangest months of my life. Some of the time has been wonderful, and some of the time has been extremely rough. But through all of the ups and downs, my sweet husband has been unwaveringly steady and supportive.
The time that I spent away in the Mediterranean with Melissa was an emotional journey for me and Shannon. I had so much fun with Melissa, and I saw so many amazing things, but my journey was full of many difficult situations. Some I have shared with you all; some I have not. But suffice it to say, I experienced homesickness in a way that I never thought was possible.
The few times that I got to speak to Shannon on the phone while I was gone were fraught with many tears. Which must have been so hard for him to handle, because I was a world away and there was nothing that he could do to help me. But on the phone and via emails, he was so encouraging to me.
When Melissa and I finally landed at the airport in our home town, my heart was just pounding at the thought of seeing Shannon. And once I caught the first glimpse of him, I burst into tears (as did Shannon). I was completely overwhelmed at just the sight of him.
Shannon took care of our boys, Allie, the house, the grocery shopping, running the kid taxi, not to mention his more than full time job, and he did it all by himself. And he did it with a smile on his face, because he was just so happy for me to get the opportunity to travel with Melissa on what was obviously the trip of a lifetime.
Well, once I returned home, we were both very ready for our lives to return to "normal." But if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, then chances are you already know...that is not what happened.
Three days after returning home, I found myself in the emergency room, feeling more pain than I have ever experienced in my life. Then almost three weeks after that, I found myself having back surgery, followed by what has turned into four months of recovery. And I am still recovering. Although, I can do more now, than I could do two months ago, I am still very limited in what I can do. Shannon has had to carry the heaviest part of the load for over five months now, but he has done it with so much grace and compassion.
I could write for days about all the things that he has done to take care of me and the boys over the last five months, but that is not what I want to share with you today. What I want to share with you is not what he has done for us, but how he has done everything for us.
Shannon has done the job of two parents for quite some time now, and he has done it all with a smile on his face. If I had to pick just one blessing that I have received throughout these difficult months (and there have been many), I would have to say that I have been blessed with the opportunity to see my husband shine! These last five months have been full of so many challenges, and it has been such a blessing to see him rise to the occasion with so much grace, compassion, and caring that I can't even begin to describe it to you.
I have shared with you all before (click here) that God has worked a miracle in our marriage, and the last few months of our lives, He has continued that work.
I love Shannon more now than I ever thought possible, and I can honestly say that I wouldn't change one thing that we have been through these last five months, because I would have missed the blessing of seeing Shannon shine.
I love you so much, Shannon. Thank you for loving and caring for me. My cup runneth over.
"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." ~Rabindranath Tagore
