Empty and full

I am feeling a little empty today: my husband has been gone for 4 days, the kids are at each other's throats and on my second-to-last nerve, we are tired from all our keep-busy-while-daddy's-gone activities, the fridge is empty, the Diet Pepsi is gone, and I am wondering how much patience I have left. But then I see these wild roses I cut from outside, and smell their rich, incredible, perfect rosy perfume, and think how they just survive, without pruning or fertilizing, through severe winds and freezing temperatures, thunderstorms, and summer heat, and they are so beautiful, so fragrant. My life is no thunderstorm. My husband will be home in two days. If I am a little thorny, my children will forgive me, because after bedtime stories, songs, and prayers, they will be assured that I love them and all is well. And if life is rough, may my fragrance become even sweeter, my love more vibrant for having survived each storm.