Balance

On Saturday mornings for the last few years, Mark would get up really early and go play basketball with a group of friends. Often he would take Cooper and Lucia with him and set up Cooper’s little hoop somewhere in the gym so the kids could shoot around while the guys were playing. Afterward, he would frequently stop at a Shorewood sporting event with the kids in tow. I am not sure who took this photo but am so thankful to have it because it reminds me just how well Mark balanced it all: work, family and fun. Sure he left piles of clean laundry on the countertop in the basement and waited until it was nearly touching the ceiling before folding it… and maybe he sometimes didn’t take the garbage out until it was practically overflowing…but he sure did a remarkable job of juggling fatherhood, a demanding career and a very active social life. I always knew how lucky I was…but like anything in life, sometimes the unimportant things can cloud the big picture. The laundry, the garbage, the snoring so loud he might wake up the neighbors…all of these things that really never mattered anyway have now literally melted away, so insignificant amongst the sea of beautiful qualities that my husband possessed. Nobody’s perfect…but Mark was perfect for me.