Our Apart-time

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

A college professor of mine quoted this old saying to a group of us my freshman year. He stated that he had found it a good thing to be away from his wife every once and a while. Made them appreciate each other more.

My soon-to-be husband and I discovered that little truth our first summer apart. He traveled out West for eight weeks. Eight long weeks. No texting. No facebook. No email. Not even a cellphone. Only occasional phonecalls placed on his AT&T calling card and hand-written letters. But it was that absence that sealed the deal. Before that summer, I was pretty sure I could live with him and be happy. After that summer, I had no doubt that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him as his wife.

We still know the value of short absences from each other. Makes us appreciate each other a little more.

We also enjoy a few days alone here and there. A couple days like we had last week. We were fortunate to have the Grandmas tag-team the babysitting for us so we could go to our church's couples' retreat.


Talking without interruptions.

Shopping without extended restroom breaks and snack times.

Eating together over still-hot food.

Surprisingly, the children seemed to appreciate the short apart-time as well. They look forward to the extra attention from grandparents and enjoyed the special privileges that only Grandmas can give. But, sweetly, they were so excited to see us Saturday evening. And to top it all off, they even surprised us with homemade presents!


Maybe this week we'll appreciate each others' company a little more. Be a bit more patient with each other... at least for a little while. And it is nice to remember the feeling of anticipation over seeing one another!

It is true. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.