16 Days

16 days ago tomorrow, Paul left on a missions trip to Brazil. This is the first time he's ever done anything like this and the first time he's been out of the country while not on a cruise.

16 days is not that long, relatively speaking. It's only a bit over 2 weeks. But it seems like forever since he left. I've come to some conclusions while he's been gone:

• I don't like being in charge all of the time. It's exhausting.
• When Dad's not here, our routine disappears. I'm not sure why this one is true, but it is.
• When Dad's not here, we all sleep late. Every. last. one. of. us. Even Emma and Ben who are usually very consistent with their wake up times. I know why this one is true. (Paul is known in our house as the sleep Nazi)
• Our church is empty without Paul, even though everyone else is there. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.
• At least half of the time our door was left unlocked all night long. And the flowers wilted before anyone remembered to water them.
• My young boys need the strong hand of their father consistently in their lives. It is very evident that Dad has not been around these past few weeks.
• I didn't realize how accustomed I am to hearing from Paul every few hours. To only hear from him every few days was hard. The knowledge that I couldn't reach him even if I needed to was hard. Thankfully, I didn't need to reach him.

16 days. I'm glad it's over and he'll be home tomorrow. We need him.