No Replacement for Mama

My wife has been working on a grant that needed to be submitted by tonight. She’s been working on it non-stop since Saturday, so Troy and I have had to keep each other company for the last few days. While she has tried to take breaks to spend 10 min here and 10 min there with us, it’s really felt like she’s been absent around here. She’s here, but not really here. I’ve done my best to distract Troy and keep him away from her, so she can focus on her work. I know she’s stressed with all that’s left to do.

But tonight Troy decided that enough was enough. No matter how I tried to keep him in the den with me, he kept running into her office. My wife would bring him back into the den, only to have Troy make a beeline back to her. I tried to block him from going, and he burst into tears. Finally frustrated, my wife came out to spend a little time with him before he went to bed. As she sat down on the couch with Troy, he wrapped his little arms around her, and he said, “I missed you.”

It was enough to break my heart. I’ve missed my wife too, but not wanting her to feel bad, I’ve kept it to myself. But Troy wears his emotions right out on his snot-covered sleeves. He’s so honest and pure. It was absolutely beautiful.