when they reached the end of the day, she began reciting a long list of tasks that had been left undone, and, as she did, tears began to flow down her face. he listened, resolving to dedicate the next day to her, so that together they could complete as many of those tasks as possible. he gave her a hug and wished her a good night's sleep before falling asleep himself.
the next morning, he arose early and completed his work outside the home. then he came home and completed the usual morning chore of feeding their six pets before preparing breakfast so that when she got out of bed they could eat and begin work. he had already determined that she would make all the decisions that day; he would be the helper who followed her directions.
as they ate breakfast, he said, "what job would you like to tackle first?" still overwhelmed by all that there was to do, she looked at him sadly and replied, "we'll never get everything done." he encouraged her to name the most important task for her, and when she did, he told her that he'd clear away the breakfast dishes as she got dressed, and then they'd start.
soon they began work on that task. when she chose to do something in a way that he thought he had a better idea for, he bit his lip and went along with her way of doing things. they worked hard all morning and by noon the end of the job was in sight. exhausted, they took a break for lunch, and, after they had rested a bit, they went back to work, completing the task in short order.
she was excited by what they had accomplished and moved on to the next job on her list with enthusiasm. he continued as her helper and soon this next chore was finished. when she announced that she had to go inside to rest, he volunteered to move on to a task that only he could do and left to buy the materials he needed. upon his return, he worked for several hours on his project. she came and inspected it, then said, "why don't you go inside and rest for awhile now, and i'll put everything away. then we'll clean up and go out for dinner."
as he rested and she worked, his heart was full of gratitude for his wonderful wife. he wondered why he didn't express his joyful appreciation of her by dedicating more days to her and resolved that in the future he'd do just that.
may we all be filled with such appreciation of those we love. may we find joy in setting aside our list of tasks to help another with the tasks that weigh heavily on them. shalom.
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