I’ve spent nearly the past month and a half in and out of a state of bizarre illness and exhaustion, and have yet to fully understand what’s causing it.  After a whole bunch of tests and day after day of laying in bed, I am slowly starting to feel better. This week, for the first time all summer, things have calmed down enough at work that I have been working from home most days, cherishing the final lull before the year picks up again.

So this morning, at the start of my big full day at home, Ben was getting ready to leave for work as I still puttered around in my pajamas.  Just before it was time for him to leave, I started to get ready so I could drive him to the train even though it wasn’t the plan.  At the same time in the next room, he was preparing to leave early so he could purposely give me space to stay inside and keep resting. We met in the middle with our opposite plans, trying to say “No, I did this for you though!” I laughed and made a perhaps not-so-accurate reference to the Gift of the Magi.  We all read it back in Middle School.  Woman sells her hair to buy her husband a watch chain, man sells his watch to buy his wife combs for her hair.  It’s a lovely little story I’ve always remembered, and it reminds me so much of the early days in our relationship when we creatively came up with $10 or even free gifts for Christmas and birthdays together.

This morning’s little post is for my husband, Ben, whom I have chosen to embarrass.  I’ve seen the trending challenge floating around Facebook about celebrating your relationship and I’ve also seen the backlash of why it’s been making some people feel lousy.  I understand both sides.  So my version of meeting that challenge is not about wedding photos, or trips to pretty places with palm trees (all of which are great too!), but instead, a thank you for the things you can’t photograph in a relationship: making pots of morning coffee, letting me sleep in, sending me pictures of birds, and driving me around when this weird illness has made me too tired to go for a walk.  It all means more than you know.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend, and I really appreciate the support of this blog as my writing goes up and down during this crazy year.  In case you need a nice reminder of that sweet story:

The Gift of the Magi