“I wished I’d met you earlier in my life.”
“What?” I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
We’d been married for 10 years- these lovey-dovey-emo-talks had become few and far between.
“Are you having a fever?” I asked, in mock jest.
“I just wished, that in my heydays racing in triathlon, you could have been there to see me.”
“Oh, sweetheart.”
This happened last year, in the midst of us picking up the pieces of broken conversations in the hard parts of our marriage.
Years ago, when I’d become a stay-at-home mom (SAHM), I struggled with postpartum
depression. I often asked, “God, are You there?”
Cliff’s journey as a stay-at-home-dad (SAHD) was no different- “I wonder sometimes if God has forgotten me.”
“Who says I can’t watch you race now? Let’s find out when the next World Transplant Games race is.”
The WTG is a 2-yearly global multi-sport event where organ transplant recipients gather to compete. From Argentina to South Africa, it’s been held round the world.
“Wow, there’s actually one in Perth! And for the FIRST time in history, there’s a triathlon race!”
Goosebumps tingled all over me. “Look at the dates, Cliff. It’s over your 43rd birthday. It’s near Singapore. It’s in the same time zone and the kids will be old enough to cheer you on with me. This… is God’s gift to you. Far from forgetting you, He’s packaged this gift JUST for you!”
His eyes glistened with emotion.
It’s times like these that I truly believe God has been mindful of us all along. In those dark months of walking alone, it often feels like God has forgotten us. But He hasn’t. He really hasn’t.
Just weeks ago ago, Cliff started his inaugural SAHD meeting. Called “The Ordinary Dad,” it drew the attention of @ourcommongroundsg to explore a potential collaboration about creating healthy conversations about the journey of SAHDs to create cultural change.
In a single moment, all those years of hardship distilled into Meaning & Purpose.
Thank you for always believing in holding on, to finish well. We can’t wait to cheer you on 💛