The past weeks are a blur of paper and people.  Tax returns and clients all run together, and I couldn’t count the number of times I ran out of paper clips, #10 envelopes or address labels.  Assembling tax returns is not for the faint of heart, especially when there are three preparers and one assembler.  Talk about stress!  And yet, God was there in the midst of it all…  Almost every client who walked in the door asked “How are your boys doing?”  And the sheer number of people who told me they are praying for Jason was overwhelming.    I was constantly reminded that people truly do care about others and not just themselves.

Yes, the days were punctuated by clients dropping off and picking up, phones ringing, faxes coming in, and the copier breaking down (at least weekly it seemed), all of this fueled by caffeine and sugar.  Some clients are wonderful and sweet, and some are not.  Being at the front desk was also a bit like Grand Central Station some days.  The evenings and weekends were quieter and you got a lot more done, but who wants to be at work then?  Yet, it wasn’t all bad.  There were the clients who brought food with them so we’d have something to eat for lunch without leaving our desks, or those who showed us their church bulletins with Jason’s name on their military prayer list.  These were the “God” sightings during a hectic, frustrating time.

For the first twenty or so years of our marriage, tax season meant that I was at first, a tax widow and later, a single mom.  For three and a half months every year, life as we knew it came to a screeching halt.  Everything at home became my responsibility for that time period, including the cars and any repairs that needed done.  Take for example the year of the slushy incident, when the van ended up going through the garage door and hooking itself onto the boat hitch!  I called my father-in-law to ask what I should do and he said “take care of it and tell Jeff when he gets home.”  Sage advice.  I truly never understood why my husband was so stressed out and cranky.  I mean yes, he was working long hours, but as a full-time homemaker with two boys, two cats and a dog, so was I.  Truly, parenting is a 24/7 job.  Anyone who says it isn’t hasn’t done it.

About six years ago, my perspective changed.  I was asked to “help out” at the office for a “few hours” a week during tax season.  The pay that was offered was excellent, and the boys were getting to an age where they could be home alone for a few hours, or so I thought.  I’ll never forget the first Good Friday I worked.  The boys were off school and were probably 15 and 11.  The last thing I said before I went out the door that morning was “no cooking while I’m gone.”  I’m not sure what part of that they didn’t understand, but I am pretty sure roasting marshmallows in the gas fireplace constitutes cooking.  (It was quite some time before my husband found out why the boys lost TV privileges for a week.)

Gradually as the years passed, 15 to 20 hours a week became 25 to 30, until this year when I worked full-time hours during the latter half of tax season, logging over 80 hours the last two weeks.  I know that doesn’t sound like much to all you working stiffs out there, but it was crazy.  It wasn’t regular 9 to 5 hours with evenings and weekends off.  It was:  Drop off Josh at school, head to the grocery store and the post office, run home, throw a load of laundry in the washer (and toss the load in the washer from the night before over to the dryer), take care of the animals, make lunches, dash off to the office, leave to get Josh for lunch and pick up his gym clothes, drop him back at school and run back to the office.   Several tax returns later, I would dash out the door to pick up Josh from school, take him home to change and rush him to weight training in Lewisberry.  I would then scurry home to let the dog out and feed him, take care of the mail and head back to pick up Josh.  After driving him home and making sure his supper was taken care of, I would sometimes go back to the office until 9 or 10.  But not every night, some nights I just threw in another load of laundry and collapsed on the couch!

So now, as I look at this tax season in the rear view mirror, I sigh with relief.  But I also realize that, somehow, I enjoyed my time at the front desk.  I was blessed by those around me who shared kind words and daily smiles.  And interwoven through my days was the “positive and uplifting” music of WORD.FM.  Needless to say, I now totally understand why my husband gets so stressed out.  And I take my hat off to you ladies who work full-time jobs while raising kids!  I’m so thankful that I was blessed to be able to stay home with my boys.  When you work full-time and have a family, something has to give, and for us it was all the healthy meals I had just started to enjoy creating.  Josh and I were on a culinary adventure the first few weeks of tax season that would have undoubtedly left me quite a few pounds thinner had I been able to keep up with all the cooking required.  Alas, it was not to be.  “Fast food” does not just mean all the drive thru’s that are abundantly available.  Fast food is anything you don’t have to spend an hour preparing and an hour cleaning up afterwards — truly.  Add to that all the goodies we enjoyed at the office…donuts and coffee cake and peanut butter eggs and…yeah, it wasn’t pretty, but it did make it more enjoyable to be there.

Now that all the craziness is behind me, I’m looking forward to a new beginning of sorts.  A time to really focus on a healthier lifestyle, including all that great cooking Josh and I were getting used to, as well as implementing an exercise regimen.  Additionally, I’m anxious to get back to seriously pursuing my writing and working towards getting published.  Another thing on the horizon is the ACTS Team mission trip to New Mexico Josh and I are taking, and afterwards a week alone with Jeff to celebrate our 30th anniversary.  Relationships are one of the keys to a healthy life.  We were not created to live in a vacuum, and when we are forced to curtail those interactions with family and friends, life seems more overwhelming.  God made us to live in community and I, for one, am glad.  While I’m happy to be free of the daily grind, I will miss all those I shared time with at the office — a smile or an encouraging word does wonders for the frazzled lady behind the front desk.  But now it’s time to spread my wings and enjoy the beauty of Spring, and all that this new beginning holds.  Thank you, God!!  Tax season is over!