It wasn't much to look at, at first glance. The mailbox was slanted, the flowers over run by weeds. The yard was overdue for a mow, and a few of the shutters didn't hang straight.
Climbing up the steps, they creaked and moaned like no other. The railing was wobbly and there were piles of discarded items at one end of the porch, and a wooden porch swing at the other, near the door.
Going in I was met at the door by happy little faces.
“Mommy! Mommy! You're home!”
“Yes, and there's groceries in the truck, please go fetch them and bring them to the kitchen!”
I picked up the two year old and thanked the babysitter as she left. The other three children ran out the door I'd just came in. Hawkins, Genevieve, Myles, and Aurora were their names, from oldest to youngest. I set my purse down on the table by the door and paused a moment to take in the state of the house. There was a basket of laundry in the living room chair still waiting to be folded, jelly finger prints on the TV and the windows, all of the furniture had stains, but as long as everything functioned, no one cared. The walls had a floral wallpaper that would have made a grandmother proud, but I didn't care, I loved it anyway. The dining room table had one leg shorter than all the others and was propped up on a stack of books. The chairs were all mismatched, but no one ever noticed so long as there was food on the table.
There were toys strewn down the stairs leading to the second floor. I was too afraid of the mess I'd find there to venture up just yet.
At the back of the house was the kitchen and the closet sized room that held the washer and dryer. The washer was old but functioned properly, and the dryer was always breaking down, which reminded me, the clothes on the line should be dry by now.
With a lot of noise, and a few trips, all the groceries were unloaded to the kitchen counter, then in a flash the children went out the backdoor to the yard. Even the two year old insisted on following them.
With them out from under foot, I restocked the food and put dinner on the stove. I watched the children play in the yard as I cleaned up the morning dishes. The boys loved to hunt for worms while the girls took up the swings. When they felt adventurous they'd wander out into the woods, and on really nice days, I'd take them all back to the creek to play.
The meat was going to take a little while to cook, so I grabbed a basket and went out to the line. The sun was warm and soft as the day was coming to an end. Pretty soon we'd sit down to dinner, then I'd take a break and put the kids to bed soon after.
I was just about done with the clothes on the line when I heard Dean's truck coming up the drive. The children heard it to and ran to the front to greet their father. I smiled to myself and carried the laundry back in. I set the basket down inside the door and went to work gathering the dishes for dinner and mixing up a salad. Next thing I knew I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist from behind, and a gentle kiss on the back of my neck. I laughed a little because I could feel his breathing, and it tickled.
“Hello dear.” I said putting my hands over his. I leaned back into him and he rested his head on mine.
“How is the love of my life?” He chuckled.
“Just peachy.” I turned around to kiss him quickly, then playfully swatted at him with the hand towel. “Now tell your children to go wash up! Dinner is almost ready!”
“Yes ma'am!” He gave a fake salute and we both laughed.
I turned back to the dinner and he left the kitchen. I could hear the fighting mixed with laughter as Dean and the children crowded into the bathroom to wash their hands. It was a nice thing to hear.
By the time they were washed up and seated, I had the table set and the food laid out. With Dean at the head of the table, myself at the end, and the children on either sides, we folded our hands for grace and a special prayer of thanks for the beautiful life God had granted us.
Dinner was the regular noisy affair. Everyone talking between helpings, asking about daddy's day combined with the usual unavoidable arguing. Then the dishes were cleared away, I washed, Dean dried, and the children sat down to watch TV. Then we snuck out to the porch swing to watch the sunset while the children were distracted.
He took my hand and led me to the swing. I curled my feet up under me and laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and held my hand with the other. He kissed the top of my head and we sat there, quietly watching the sunset. The whole day wrapping up in these last few moments. It was a beautiful sight.
We'd sat here like this so many times before and it still felt so comforting and peaceful. Our house wasn't perfect, our lives weren't always easy, weren't always smooth sailing, money wasn't always easy to come by, and time was always something we were running short on, but we had each other. I had a good life with people I loved: my family. I worked hard at my job and at home and the work always seemed to pay off in the end. I was in good health as was my family.
And even though we'd sit there and dream that one day we'd have a bigger, tidier house with clean, unstained, matching furniture and working appliances; a nice yard with a pretty mailbox, a barn tools that weren't covered in rust, a horse and some livestock, we were still happy. We were confident that prayer and hard work would bring us exactly to where we needed to be. We didn't have all the luxuries, but we didn't need them. I had everything I needed in my children and this wonderful man. We didn't always get along or agree, in fact we had many disagreements, but in the end, I knew he loved me, and he always tried his best, and I couldn't have asked for more.
