the travelin' man

At Richard’s office Christmas party in 2008 he was given the nickname of the “Travel Warrior”. He was the most traveled employee in the Boise office. How he got to that point is a long, and probably boring story. But it had been a rough year, many weeks in Lewiston and Spokane. 2009 was much better but he still accumulated a fair amount of frequent flyer miles.


I don’t like to complain about his travel for three reasons.

#1. He has never had to travel out of the country to a war zone. Many married men do.
#2. We are still married. Many couples are not.
#3. He is still living. Some women’s husbands are not.

But I’m going to speak freely for a moment.

February 17th is my birthday and Richard will return home that night from his last scheduled trip to Spokane after completing his last busy season on the out-of-town client. There is a good chance that he will have to make a trip back to Spokane here or there, but as of right now he is only scheduled to travel one week for a training in the fall. I could not dream of a better birthday gift. It is an occasion we have been praying for for years.

Only women who have husbands who travel know how hard it is to have a husband who travels. We have always managed fine and been blessed to have good family and friends to help. I sort of settle into a routine and adjust. But as soon as he returns I am reminded of how much better life is with him around.

Last night we loaded the kids in the van and drove him to the airport. We drove the lonely drive home and when I pulled into the driveway I sat still for a minute. The kids were all unusually quiet and somber and I felt a weight settle on me. Another week of single parenting.

But it is only one more full week. It is the last mile of the marathon before the final sprint to the finish that will be the first few days of next week.

I feel so blessed.

I am so happy.