The Friends My Husband Has

~ friends send you a text message to let you know they are thinking about you and expect nothing in return, knowing you hate texting

~ friends print a picture from your wedding and bring it to your dad's hospital room just to see him smile

~ friends know your family--are your family--and accept all of the secrets, too

~ friends reminisce and laugh about the same old jokes for the last twenty years, then offer advice and encouragement for the next twenty years in the same breath

~ friends run over to your house to play, whether you are eight years old and bring toys, or thirty-six years old and bring wine

~ friends invite you to events, places, aware you may not respond, but aren't offend

~ friends tell you what you need and how to handle the financial, emotion challenges so you don't have to decide

~ friends remove stressors by making the phone calls you are dreading and handling any task they can without you

~ friends make it unbearably hard to choose a "best" man

~ friends hop on a plane at moments notice and fly across the country to sit by your side as your dad is dying

These are the friends my husband has.

For this, I am thankful.

As a wife, I offer support, say the right words, embrace and comfort him.  No one will ever love him or look at him like I do.

However, he has a special group of friends that provide him a different kind of strength.  So, when he texts and says he doesn't know what time he will be home tonight, I don't worry.  Especially not tonight.  He needs them.  The stories they will tell.  The memories they will share.  The solace they will provide.

Instead, I revel in having the house to myself for a beat.  We get reacquainted on this cold night, snuggled in blankets next to the fire.  I control the remote and watch the mindless and meaningless.  For a moment, my mind is able to focus on something else because he has found a blessing in them.