10/25/2024
People often ask me what my wife “does.” My response usually varies, but quite often jokingly includes calling her Wonder Woman.
So, what does my wife “do”?
She wakes up in the middle of the night with them to comfort them after bad dreams, helps them and cleans up after them when they are sick, and changed their diapers, breastfed them, and rocked them back to sleep when they were babies.
She wakes up very early most mornings since things must be organized, laundry probably needs to be started, and because it may be the only opportunity she has all day to spend any time in quite with God and her own thoughts. She prepares breakfast and lunches for the children, she makes sure they are dressed and ready, that they have eaten, and makes sure they have all their things for the day.
We homeschool our kids and Janet is the driver behind the planning, ex*****on, and follow up for their education. She is the one that sets the tone, maintains the schedule, and guides them as they struggle with their math, Latin, writing, reading, and language development. Each of the kids has a unique method of learning, so she diligently conducts research, seeks wise counsel, shops resources, and develops strategies to maximize their growth in the learning process.
While educating our children she also budgets our allocated amount for household and groceries each month. She shops the best deals, maps out the best path to get everything done, and teaches our kids how to do the things they need to know to successfully live in society. Once she gets home, she makes sure the laundry is moved to the next phase to prevent a backlog, handles emergencies as they arise, and effectively finds solutions when something goes wrong.
In the evening, she cooks dinner, serves us food, washes the dishes, cleans the house, feeds the dog, and moves the laundry to the next phase. She manages the schedule of our active and sweaty little boy’s bathing so they don’t stink, and she plans out what needs to be packed for the next day. After the kids get their pajamas on (which are only clean because she is constantly managing the laundry), she checks their teeth, makes sure we can get into and out of their room, does devotionals with them and reads aloud to them because it is so important for their mental and emotional development.
Once the kids are in bed, she checks in with me, listens to me whine about my hard stuff, guides me, encourages me, prays for us, and even sometimes tries to stay awake for a few minutes of TV.
In addition to all the responsibilities she carries at home, she also maintains healthy and thriving relationships with friends and neighbors, serves others in their time of need, counsels and comforts friends, coaches people through problems, cleans and shops for our elderly neighbor, helps strengthen marriages by watching their kids so they can go on date nights, and helps coordinate our schedules so that we don’t miss important events, have appropriate cards and gifts for birthdays, Mother's and Father's days, and all the other days.
This is the life of my Wonder Woman. Every day presents new and different challenges that she faces with grit, heartfelt care, and diligence. You can ask her how she feels about her impact, but here are my thoughts.
Her impact is creating a foundation for our children’s lives so they can be who God wants them to be.
Her impact is creating an environment for all of us to thrive and succeed in what we do.
Her impact is saving marriages and friendships.
HER IMPACT IS ETERNAL.
Oh, and as if all that wasn’t enough, she is now learning to be an entrepreneur in real estate.
Mind blown.
I don't tell her nearly often enough how much I appreciate her, how proud I am of her, and how in awe I am of her.
