Take Your Wife to Work Day

For those of you who do not know, my husband owns his own landscaping and lawn care company. (So... if you need lawn work done in the Jackson-Metro area, I know a great guy: Picture Perfect Places) Friday he had a lot of bush trimming jobs and found out early that morning that no one would be able to work with him. Being the helpful wife, I said "Well, I'd work with you, but I have the children." Turns out that his parents had been staying with us that week and were headed back home that morning. They agreed to take the kids home with them so "Take Your Wife to Work Day" had officially begun. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew that whatever it was would be dirty and hot. Yep. I was right times a million.

I learned a lot during that 7 hour workday, and not just how to trim bushes or use loppers to dig up annoying roots or the best method for bagging leaves. I learned how hard of a worker my husband is and how physically taxing his work is... and how much more I need to appreciate him.

The following quotes are common thoughts that would fester in my mind every day after Keith would come home from work. The explanation below is now what will enter my mind if these thoughts come again:

"All he does when he comes home is just lay around."
All I wanted to do on Friday (and all my body NEEDED to do) was lay down. I was SO sore. My arms and legs were tingling. Lawn work does a number on the body, and Keith will now have free reign to rest and relax when he gets home from work.

"He comes home and stays in the bathroom forever."
I found out that it's really hard working without having an accessible bathroom close by. It's not like he can just bang on a client's door and ask to use the little boy's room. Because of this revelation, I will no longer be knocking on the bathroom door urging him to hurry.

"He always gets to eat out for lunch. I don't get to do that."
I cannot begin to tell you how much I anticipated lunchtime while I was working. Not just to fill my growling tummy, but to be able to sit in the air conditioning and relax for an hour is priceless. I cannot over exaggerate how much the sun beats down on you when you are working out there. It's not just hot, it's goodness-gracious-great-balls-of-fire HOT.

I also failed to mention that the air conditioning in his truck has a short and only comes on occasionally, making going to Newk's and enjoying the air conditioning during lunch even cooler (Get it? Even cooler... anyways, moving on....) 

"He never answers my texts or calls."
There is always something else to do out in the yard, whether it be straw to straighten and fluff or another measly weed to pull. It is constant bending over, holding heavy equipment, pulling huge contractor bags across the yard, and the like. I left my phone in the truck the entire time and had no time to check it.

I did take my phone out of the truck to snap this picture of course. ;)

"He always gets to shower and expects that he gets to without asking me first."
Between the dirt, the leaves, the bugs, and the sweat, NO ONE needs a shower more than Keith when he gets home. I was so disgusting after working (pictures below prove this fact!) A long shower will now be a mandate for Keith instead of my grumbling and complaining about him having one.

This is my "Ewww.. I'm dirty" face.

It may look like a tan, but NOPE. That's plain ol' dirt. 

"He never tells me when he'll get home."
Granted, it is a nice to know when he will get home so that dinner can be prepared, but with lawn jobs, especially ones like digging up roots, there is no way to estimate how long it will take to get the job done. No longer will I roll my eyes when his Estimated Time of Arrival is "whenever he finishes the job at hand."

I say all this to encourage the wives out there to give your guy credit. Whether they are out doing sweaty manual labor or sitting behind a desk in an air conditioned building, they are working hard to provide for us and our children. We need to do everything without grumbling or complaining (Philippians 2:14), and give them the respect and appreciation they deserve. Even when we think they don't deserve it, give them grace. I have started singing this old hymn in my head to remind me of the grace I was given when I didn't deserve it. It helps me be gracious to him in my words and actions when I feel like getting annoyed or angry:

Grace, grace God's grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace God's grace
Grace that is greater than all my sin.

Now, don't get me wrong. Being a stay at home mom is hard work but.....


I think I'll keep my day job. ;)