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Yesterday was Labor Day. We didn’t have any big plans as I had to work in the evening. We were taking the day to clean, spend some time as a family and do a few things. Nothing special, just a day (mostly) off as a family.
We were on our way to the store to exchange something. We planned to hit the park with the boys after that to let them run off some energy on the playground. The weather was beautiful. As we crossed over a bridge, we saw a plume of smoke in the distance. Less than a minute later, FireDad’s pager went off.
He turned the truck around, and we made our way back to the fire house. We dropped him off, and I took the boys back to the store. And the park. By myself.
It wasn’t horrible. The boys were well behaved at both the store and the playground. In fact, I got to prop myself on the bench and read some of the book that I’m totally engrossed by while they ran and laughed and chased each other. The scene wouldn’t have been much different if FireDad had been present. We would have heard more, “Daddy! Look at this!” Instead, it was, “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” The boys didn’t seem overly upset that their daddy wasn’t there.
But I missed him.
It’s not as if his absence ruined our plans. I didn’t have to clean up an entire family meal by myself like the year he was called out on Christmas Eve as we finished the last bites of our amazing dinner. It wasn’t like he missed opening presents on Christmas morning. We didn’t have to cancel a trip anywhere cool. But I missed his presence, his laughter, the jokes we would have made sitting on the bench together. He is my partner, my best friend, and when he’s not with us on family days, it stings a bit. I survived. The kids thrived. But it would have been just that much better if he would have been with us.
Eventually, big kids ruined the time at the playground and we piled back in the truck. About a mile from the fire station, FireDad called and said that they were done. We swung by, picked him up and finished our day together. It all worked out in the end, as it always does.
Life as a fire family is filled with these little interruptions. I’m just glad that we get the time that we do spend together. We are lucky that way.
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5 Responses to “Another Holiday, Another Fire Call”
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My name is Jenna, aka FireMom. I blog here, 
Twitter: katie_in_ma
says:
What a cool dino! Wish our park had cool equipment like that. I can just imagine the pretend-play that goes with it…
Katie in MA´s last [type] ..More adventures from Stickville
Interruptions like that can be annoying. I recently got married to a “phone man” that is forced to work 60+ hours a week most of the time, often including holidays. I spent Memorial Day (a few weeks after our wedding) sitting in our apartment alone. It was terrible! lol But, you get through it, move on, and enjoy each other when you can. I hope you are blessed with a whole day of quality time soon!
Jenni´s last [type] ..Hospitality- Overnight Guests
Yes, you are blessed you have the opportunity to spend time as a family and a husband who apparently wants the same thing. There are husbands/wives who would rather do their own thing on their days off than with the family.
Lisa´s last [type] ..Magic Bullet
((Hugs))
domestic extraordinaire´s last [type] ..Summers End
When I was in high school my family was in a car accident on Thanksgiving day, and I ended up going to the hospital via ambulance. My friend’s Dad ended up being the paramedic to take care of me, which made both my parents and me feel a lot better. Her family still teases me about taking him away on Thanksgiving (it didn’t affect their plans, it was early in the day), but it definitely made me appreciate those people (the police, firemen, paramedics, and doctors we dealt with that day) who have to work on holidays to keep the rest of us safe. Thank you for sharing your husband with the rest of us on days like that:)