a birthday gift I treasure

This past week, I had the opportunity to give Kris a break.
To go away.
To be a guy.
A friend. 
Without the pressures of home and work and life that are so demanding on him daily. I know how hard he works and that his need to breathe away from home is important to him.
I wish I could say it was easy to watch him drive away. See the joy in his eyes as he prepared for this trip. I so desperately wanted to give him his request with joy. This is where I messed up.
When he was gone, it was so noticeable. It is quieter...there just is a feeling that someone 'great' is missing. And he is just that! Kris adds so much to our home with his humour, interactions, personality and his love for us.
Tag teaming with parenting, taking turns driving kids places, someone to talk decisions through with, opening jars, heavy lifting, yard work and just a level of calmness he brings to our home made me realize who he really is and what he does for us daily by just being here. Not to mention the stuff behind the scenes working to support his family, paying bills and preparing for our future in ways I cannot. I have huge level respect for him not to mention all he can balance. He amazes me.
I also cannot fathom how single parenting is even possible. It is not easy to balance physical needs of the house, kids (as well as the emotional needs) and schedules...not to mention trying to work to support a family. I am thankful that I can have the opportunity to be at home without this unimaginable stress.
I never realized how much I could miss him. When we are together, it is easy to forget our gift of our spouse, why we lean on each other and realize what we offer to our home, family and marriage...until we are apart. My eyes were opened. Having his car pull up into the driveway meant my soft place to fall arrived.
So today I am thankful, that Kris is home. So thankful for his break, hopefully feeling refreshed despite my failures and emotional-ness in the process. So thankful to have him home with a fresh perspective of appreciation for each other and our family. So thankful for this gift.