On Thoughtfulness

Yesterday I filmed a funeral. It was a come and go and I ended up staying there until about 8:30 at night. The funeral filming is an interesting experience in and of itself, but more about that another time.

I wanted to share a moment that I share about a another person's thoughtfulness and how much it meant to me.

Throughout the long evening there were stretches of down time during which I chatted with one of the funeral attendants. I told him Justin was studying to be a Physical Therapist, and he told me he'd tried to convince his son, a geologist who had struggled to find work in his field, to think about PT as a career.

"The schooling is very tough though, " I told him "Justin wakes up at about 5:30 am each morning and doesn't get back until 9, 10, and often 11 at night."

"Oh boy, " said Richard

and then quietly

"that's got to be hard on you then."

Richard probably doesn't know that I had to bite my lip to keep myself from losing it right there.

I am so incredibly proud of what my husband is doing. School is not easy for him because of his ADHD. On top of that this program is accelerated so the classes are stacked up pretty heavily. We've had ups and downs and through it all he's held on to his dream.

Sometimes though, I feel forgotten. Physical Therapy is a career path that's recognized. People know the schooling's difficult, they know that Justin is doing great things. And me, well I've just got this little business plus a milllion side jobs, handling all the household responsibilities and raising my kid.

I know I'm not the only one. With the price of education going up, the economy being what it is, and the woman in the work place, I think there are a lot of people like me - the spouse who's working day and night in a non-traditional way.

So here's to all you mom's and dad's shouldering the burdens of the household and striving daily to help your spouse realize their dream. You are not forgotten.

Richard is thinking about you.