Nephews

This was taken a few months ago

I had a pretty rotten day at work yesterday. On a rotten scale, it was a 9 (pretty bad). I drove home in a funk, my mind full of angry bitter thoughts about all the work that was now on my plate. I shoved the blame around like a foursquare ball at recess. The dirty cloud of frustration followed me in past the garage door, passed the burgeoning tomato plants in my garden, and into the kitchen where my loving husband stood with arms open wide and a smile on his face. He could see there was something wrong. "How was your day?" he asks sweetly. To which I respond, "*blechblech-barf-yuck-booHoOOOOOoooo*" for the next 45 minutes. My man is so patient. He reminds me that we have plans to have dinner with Joe and Liv and their boys (our nephews) and we need to leave. "*Hrrmmph!!*" says me.

I begrudgingly change out of my work clothes wondering how quickly we might leave after dinner and return home (so I can sulk some more by myself). Maybe I can bail out all together? I take one look at Joaquin and know that that would be unacceptable. Then he gives me a playful look that means, "you don't plan to be grumpy all night, do you?" WELL I DO! I sure deserved it after THE DAY I had!

And then Joaquin really adds logs to the fire with, "You know what's really important, right?... Right?" Implying this wasn't. I frown. He smiles. He continues, holding me closer, "What is really important is that I love you and you love me and this is not all there is in life."

Man, it smarts when he calls me out in my sin! ... I continue to simmer. My pride is a bit injured. I tell ya, I can be pretty stubborn sometimes.

So, we drove the few minutes to Joe and Livi's home. I continued to rant about the details of my day, ignoring his wise words. Joaquin was quiet and listened as I appeared to grow increasingly more agitated. We parked. He gives me a look that says to cool it. I attempted to prepare myself to be grateful to be there, but in reality, I was quite determined to stay in my funk. I followed Joaquin to the front door. Our oldest nephew Clark saw us coming and lit up like a Christmas tree. "Tia Jess! Tio Joaquin!" He bounced up and down as only a three year old can. "Tia Jess!!--you can come to my room to play!!" Clark runs down the hall and points. "Tia, COME to my room to play!!"... He is quite bossy, the little booger. I greeted his parents then obeyed orders to play. My mood lightens a little. I mean, the boy is SO adorable. I couldn't help it. His smile is a heart melter. We start to play his favorite game with me. It includes Clark gently (and sometimes not so gently) covering every inch of me with all of his blankets and stuffed toys as I sit and just talk with him. As he skips about the room with that smile plastered across his face, picking up his stuffed bears from the floor, and telling me how he didn't hit anyone at preschool today, my heart releases all of its heaviness. And I begin to giggle. God made little boys to be so funny. *sigh*

And I get it. What is really important is not the silly stress of my job. Its time spent with important people, like family. Loving and living and building connections. Problems at work will get solved, and I will get paid overtime. No. big. deal. As my dad says, "They pay you because it is work." In a month, I'll probably forget what got me so agitated in the first place.

I left Clark's home that night with a song in my heart, laughing to myself as I recounted all the funny things he did and said. Perspective is such a beautiful thing. No one told me that nephews would be so much fun.