get the yoke

there's a little tradition in filipino wedding ceremonies in which an intertwined cord is laid on the shoulders of the bride and groom.

it is supposed to symbolize the yoke shared by husband and wife in the course of married life, where together they bear their burdens.

while i knew what it conveyed as a sentiment, today may have been the first time it hit home as a practical reality.

the boy in the picture woke up early today, not long after his pregnant mama.

the cat had awakened both kris and me numerous times with loud, long fits of meowing.

i was a little tired from helping a friend move her mom's belongings to a new house on saturday.

combined with an extended vacation sleep deficit hangover, and, well, it wasn't a pleasant morning for daddy.

i sat exhausted on the couch and actually uttered the phrase, "i don't see how i can go on."

thing was, it may have been a more trying day for mommy.

she was up before the sun -- not by choice, but likely a hormonal spike and/or a kicking baby -- then changed and fed a boy so rambunctious that he head-butted her in the teeth. she wept from the pain.

and still, when the boy wouldn't take his mid-morning nap, she told me to go back to sleep and insisted she take the boy to mass with her, so i could go on my own later.

i slept deeply enough in that hour that i dreamed. more importantly, that time bought me some needed rest after a fitful night's sleep. i don't think i conveyed to her how helpful that was to me at the start of my work week.

it didn't hit me until after work, though, that kris was doing exactly what we'd promised each other just over three years ago.

as i started my car, i realized i'm not carrying a load on my own -- i have a helpmate. we are a team.

today, she covered my back; i hope i'm doing a good job covering hers.

raising a family is work. days like today embody what it means to be working on a labor of love.