How does she do it? Seriously?At 3:30 this morning, I woke to the sound of my wife making breakfast for my son. Because of his disabilities, Zachary has never been a sound sleeper. The best we can usually hope for is that he'll sleep 4-5 hours at a time. As I rolled over, I knew I was in trouble. The pain in my hip was at about an 8.5 on the 1-10 scale. I had a cortisone shot yesterday, and apparently my muscles are none too happy about it.
Zachary started having a meltdown. I got up to try to help Pam, but could barely walk. I stumbled to the kitchen for some ice, but had to lean on her shoulder to get back to the bedroom. Zachary was still whiny, so I got up a second time to see what I could do. Poor kid has his wisdom teeth coming in. He kept rubbing his cheek and pointing to his mouth. She gave him some Tylenol and I prayed. Then his mom walked him back to his bedroom and helped him get back to sleep.
She has to be up again at 7 a.m. to work a 9-hour day. This is a typical morning around our house (with the exception of my hurting hip) and quite frankly, I don't know how she does it. For 15 years, she has barely had a good night's sleep. If I get up to help the Zachster, she feels she has to be up, too. Even at her husband's urging, it's rare that she'll lie back down and crash if she knows he's awake. She arranges and keeps appointments, sitter schedules, prescriptions, makes school lunches and holds down a full time job outside the home. Oh, and she pours hours into teaching Kid's Church on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. She won "Michigan Teacher of the Year" from the Assemblies of God last year.
Too bad they couldn't have awarded her a good night's sleep.
She's my Proverbs 31 lady, a virtuous woman working inside and outside the home, giving it her all with a smile on her face. "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value" (verse 11). She puts up with her two whiny guys and somehow manages to hold this hectic household together.
Yep. I married over my head. She's a keeper.
