wordless(ish?!?) wednesday

okay. this one's actually not wordless(ish) at all. even by my standards. but here goes.

this week's image:

this image might seem simple. nothing extraordinary. the girls climbing on j while he plays a game with harper.

but to me? it is extraordinary. and it brings tears to my eyes.

because (for six months now) we have been together. every day, every night. we wake up together, fall asleep together.

pray together,eat together,laugh together,

get sick of each other TOGETHER.

it's a luxury. one that i'm not getting used to (because that's dangerous and is bound to lead to heartbreak)

but one that i'm savoring. the way i savor a delicous piece of chocolate. holding on to the sweetness for as long as possible.

i am NOT taking it for granted. this year, these memories, will get me through many lonely days and nights down the line.

i will hold on to his smile when he walks in the door each day (at a NORMAL hour...early even!)

i will hold on to the shrieks of "DADDYYYYYYY!" that i get to hear every day.

i will even hold on to the dirty clothes allll over the floor,dang it.

because it's worth it.

and it's a gift. i think of all of the beautiful,strong women and mothers i know who lost their brave husbands.

i think of their children. and how for them there is no more together. not until eternity when they will be with their soldier again.

how can i possibly not realize what a treasure this is?

it's so sweet.

this year we are together.

thank you Lord. how could i ask for more?

xoxo

Comments

[Laura]

Amen! May you have many, many more moments like this ;-) This picture is so full of words...Savor it all. God is good :-)

[Jen]

That is perfection right there. How nice a whole year together must be for your family!

[Vicki Bridges]

you just gave me a big ole lump in my throat. And my dear, you are so smart to savor these moments because they are priceless!

[marianne b]

Amen!

[Cathie]

you just brought tears to my eyes. in this season of more, more, more thank you for the reminder to treasure the simple (yet wonderful) moments.

[clippergirl]

Awesomeness! I am so happy you're all together, you're such a beautiful family:)

[Kimber-Leigh]

tears in my eyes right now. so very true. love your reflections on this photo and this time together. it is a special time, isn't it?!?!? (i'm loving the earlier hours home too!)

[laurielariviere]

that is a wonderful photo, what life should be about...you are a lucky lady :)

[Michele H.]

Beautiful words and photo Steph!!!

[Robin G]

Beautiful picture and even more beautiful words! Crying here and so happy for you all! Thanks for letting us into your lives! Thanks for J's service and for your's also!

[Nicole Norman]

Lady, you are my hero.

[Brenda]

I love this photo and your words brought tears to my eyes! Enjoy this year and all the memories!

[Jingle]

Beautiful.

[Serene]

Holding a tissue to my eyes to stop a mascara run. That picture and your words choked me up. Geez, woman, now I have to go fix my makeup! LOL

[Miriam Prantner]

So wonderful! What a blessing this time is for you guys!

[Stacey]

Beautiful beautiful beautiful post <3

[Jenni Hufford]

oh this is so precious! so happy for this special time together!

[mara]

perfect picture.
xx.

[Paige Evans]

You have such a beautiful way with words and photos! So many of your posts have brought me to tears - happy tears!!

[Jenn V]

This is so sweet, Stephanie! I love it. I am thankful for my own man today, thanks to you. :)

[Linda]

Bless you all!

[Kim S.]

god Bless you for seeing that these are golden moments that will get you through rough days, and help you look forward to more golden moments!

[Linda E]

Love the picture! Enjoy every minute of this time together!

[Leah]

And that's why we love you!

[Rachel]

This is my first time commenting, but your beautiful posts about your time with your husband and girls never fail to make me smile. Every time I read one of your posts like this I am reminded of all our service men and women who so courageously put their lives on the line. Thanks for that reminder, and for sharing stories of your gorgeous family.

[Becky D]

I am so happy that Jimmy is home with you this Christmas! This post (like many of your posts in the past) brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for being a blessing to all of us Stephanie :)

[Juanna]

you deserve it. (: i have read your blog for more than 2 years now and every bit of what you have shared has touched me to the very cores of my heart. thank you!

[Marjie Kemper]

I wish you so much joy. Enjoy your time together! It's always a pleasure to pop over and see what's up in your world.

[Koko @ Koko Likes]

This post gave me chills. Hugging Q while we are sitting here just enjoying the 7 months we've had together this year.

[isabel]

your love is incredibly beautiful !

[Gayle W.]

What a lovely, lovely post. Enjoy the holidays (and all the other days too) with your beautiful family ... together, making those delicious, sweet memories. Much love and the happiest of wishes for the best Christmas ever! xoxo

[Steph H]

I thought of you guys last night when I heard a soldier greeting on the radio from Afghanistan. I am so insanely happy that you guys get this year together.

[Ceci]

Wow, that is an awesome picture, thanks for sharing it with us and giving those of us a view of what it is to be a military family. I love reading your posts, you are good girlfriend...God bless you and your family always.
love, ceci (cv.calif)

[tara pollard pakosta]

I loved this picture from the moment I saw it on IG,
just for that reason, it's a GIFT!
even if you got to spend every single day always together, it's still
a gift, but even more so, because of what you go through.

I am trying to soak in every moment I can with Michael, every moment he snuggles with the girls,
or talks to them about their day or is just with them, it's a true gift.
We aren't sure how much time we will have with him, but I want my girls to cherish every moment they can
and to know what a gift it is to have a great daddy!

your girls are VERY BLESSED and it's soooooooooo good to see him being a daddy to those 4 beautiful chicks!

love,

tara

[dawn]

WOW, you sure know how to make a girl cry. I love the way you write about your family, so sweet and honest and overfilled with love. I've learned so much from you these last few months, such a great role model you are.

I'm thrilled that you get all these right now and how precious this time TOGETHER is. Thanks for still popping in to share with us and make us laugh and cry and feel HAPPY!! Thank you for all you and your husband does for the world. He is an amazing man and you are just as amazing as a mom and wife.

Enjoy this very special holiday time TOGETHER in your beautiful new house. May all your days be filled with magic, laughs, shrieks, hugs, LOTS OF LOVE!

[Dawn F.]

Thank you for the reminder to those of us that take that everyday "being there" for granted. I'm going to savor being with my family tonight.

[Stephanie Howell]

love you, tara.xoxo

[Stephanie Howell]

Rachel...thank YOU so much for taking the time to say hello today. Your words made my day.xoxo

[Victoria]

Aww this is a gorgeous post, beautiful words. Victoria x

[chris dodaj]

That photo melts my heart! I am so happy that you all have this year together!

[Pat Kinkaid]

You made me cry. I love that you appreciate what blessings you have instead of whining about the dirty clothes in the floor, etc. God bless you for sharing.

[Kim]

Beautiful and realistic thoughts. Thank you for sharing something so personal.