One Year

What is one year? Is it a lot or not so much? Someone actually said to me on Saturday, "Wow. Has it already been a year? That went fast." Really? Maybe for you. For us, this was one year:

One year of preparing every breakfast, lunch and dinner. One year of helping and eating with kids at every meal. One year of pouring every cup and fixing every snack. One year of wiping every nose, changing every diaper, and cleaning every wound. One year of dressing everyone, putting on every shoe, brushing every tooth and hair, packing every bag, helping with every coat, and getting out the door. One year of buckling and unbuckling the car seat. One year of baths, bedtime stories, medicine doses, prayers, and tucking in. One year of getting up every time in the middle of the night. One year of getting up every time in the morning. One year of doing every dish and load of laundry. One year of cleaning every toilet, sink, shower and floor. One year of pumping every tank of gas. One year of driving everywhere. One year of buying every grocery item. One year of disciplining and dealing with tantrums. One year of going to every practice, game and event. One year of taking every picture and video. One year of every drop-off and pick-up. One year of every dog walk. One year of every appointment. One year of mowing, edging, pruning, weeding and raking. One year of taking out every bag of trash. One year of pushing every swing, steering every bike, playing every game and reading every book. One year of communicating with husband and Daddy through mail, e-mail, chats, Skype and the occasional phone call. One year of telling him goodnight in the middle of the day and to have a good day before going to bed.

One year of working 18 hours a day, each and every day of the week. One year of trying to squeeze in time to write, e-mail, chat and Skype with wife and kids. One year of eating every meal in a dining facility. One year of showering in a trailer with a bunch of other guys, always in shoes. One year of sharing a CHU with a stranger. One year of living in something called a "CHU". One year of wearing the same clothes and boots day in and day out. One year of being covered in sand. One year of carrying a weapon everywhere you go. One year of walking everywhere. One year of not driving. One year of deciding between being up all night to see football or to get that much needed five hours of sleep. One year of no trips to the school, park, ball field, movie theater, mountains, pool, ski slopes, or beach. One year of missing out on what your kids are learning and how they are growing and all the funny things they do. It's like walking in the middle of a movie and trying to figure out what you missed.

Yeah, in some ways maybe it did go fast. The kids seem to grow so much and being busy with them makes the time pass faster. But really, when you look at it, a year is a lot.