Today I am grateful for weekends ... and time off in general.
It wasn't so long along when we lived in Minot and Chris' schedule was chaotic. From month to month, day to day, the schedule changed. We were lucky if he got two free days off in a row some months, let alone have those two days off on a Saturday and Sunday like the rest of the western world. Getting time off around the holidays was always hard. The military members performing Chris' job were all lucky if they only worked one holiday between Thanksgiving and New Years Day.
It's been, well, two and a half years since Chris "pulled crew" and had that schedule. Since then he's also missed an entire holiday season while deployed.
No matter how time has past since then, it's always fresh in my mind. I get questions sometimes, especially with Chris' current job, asking about the hours he keeps. People feel sorry for him and for us because they assume that the hours are hard. But I'm always immediately reminded of those past experiences. Times, not so long ago, when Chris was a missilier and when he was deployed and his side of the bed was empty. It overwhelms me with gratitude for our current situation, which seems so easy by comparison.
It's not like we do anything special on Saturday and Sunday. We have two small children. We play, we eat, we cuddle up on the couch, we take walks, go to church, maybe take a trip to the beach. But I'm grateful for every minute of it.
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