Thank Goodness It's Friday

When Theodore and I first met, we both had jobs that required us to work weekends. Theodore worked every weekend, I worked most weekends.

We didn't like it, but I didn't ever see things changing, so I tried to accept it.

But it still bothered me.

I remember driving home from work late one Saturday night. As I drove past a house they had their curtains open (how can people do that? I'm shutting the curtains at dusk.). There was a couple sitting on the couch watching television.

I started to feel terribly sorry for myself. People all over the city were snuggled in watching Saturday Night Live. They would get up in the morning, hopefully go to church, and then have the whole day ahead of them.

I was sure they spent their Sunday afternoons lying in hammocks in the sunshine and reading to each other from books of poetry. They probably fed each other grapes, too.

But in 2000, everything changed. Theodore went back to school for a whole different career. I found the last place in the world where someone in my field doesn't have to work evenings, holidays, or weekends (well, not exactly the last place, but pretty close).

I am thankful for weekends off.

We don't do anything glamorous most weekends. But we're home. Together. We don't have a hammock, so reading poetry to each other in the sunshine is out, but watching NFL football is an okay substitute most of the time.

And we do eat grapes, but we're very civilized about eating them out of our own bowls.

But that's okay.

And every Sunday we all go to church together.

I never thought this would happen. Ever. And while most people consider this a small thing, it's a very big deal to me.

The funny thing is, our kids don't know any different. Peter vaguely remembers the time when Theodore had a different career. Camellia was just a year old when everything changed. All three kids have at some point asked us if people ever had to work on Sundays.

I don't think Theodore and I have ever been able to respond without laughing out loud.

So I am thankful for weekends off. May I never, ever take them for granted.