I’m grateful for Katie taking on the emotional labor of: - Snuggling our daughter when she needed some extra comfort before she fell asleep last night. We usually set a boundary around constant requests for attention after we put the kids to bed (“You’ve already had a drink, a story, a hug/kiss goodnight, and gone to the potty—I can’t wait to do those things all again in the morning”). However, Katie recognized an emotional need and knew when care was more important than holding a boundary. - Giving feedback by patiently requesting for me to do a task differently, even though it’s something she’s asked before. - Tag teaming on baths when it was starting to get overwhelming, and our oldest was over-tired and melting down. - Externally processing through a situation with in-laws that has been previously frustrating. But she approached it with steadiness and care.

It’s Laura’s last week at her current job and I can see the emotional labor she’s doing wrapping up her work and trying to make things smoother with her colleagues. Grateful for her figuring out how to emotionally support people in our lives who are disappointed about the election. Grateful for Laura figuring out coping strategies for herself given that I have a big teaching/classwork load this week and have had to balance lesson prep/being on campus with domestic responsibilities. Grateful that Laura is so deft at pinpointing what we need to provide comfort and hospitality to incoming guests.