Worth It

I sat in the car, waiting for my Prince Charming to bring my cafe mocha out of Panera Bread. I was listening to music and musing about prom the night before...how fun it had been to watch Hillary laugh and dance.

And then a little girl caught my eye.

She had jumped out of a car and gone running to meet a tall man, holding out her arms to be held and wrapping her legs and sandaled feet around his middle. He put his forehead to hers and her long hair curtained their faces for a minute.

Sweet.

But not nearly the end of this story.

A woman got slowly out of the car and started unloading overnight bags from the trunk. A toddler boy was released from his car seat and wandered around by his mom. A sullen looking teenage girl got out of the front seat, eyes and fingers glued to her phone and headed to the man's truck without even looking at him.

The man put down the little girl and stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets while the lady transferred belongings and gave him necessary instructions. And then she hugged each child...holding on a moment too long. The kids were safely tucked into the truck and mom went back to her car.

And I was so thankful it wasn't me.

Because it could have been. It hasn't always been easy, and I haven't always been sure.

But in that moment, it was all worth it...the fights over money and the lonely basketball seasons. The marriage counseling and the marriage retreats. Mismatched needs and resisting the greener grass on the other side.

I could have been that woman wiping tears as she gets into her car alone for the weekend.

But instead, I'm the woman who goes to prom with her husband, and shares the joy of Parker high-jumping and Hillary graduating with the man who knew me when.

It is worth it.