The Ones Who Stay Home

Mark left for the New Media Cruise on Saturday, the second year in a row. We tried to make it work for me to go, but with the kids in school and no one available to handle the daily rhythm of drop-offs, homework, and dinners, it just wasn’t possible.

There’s a part of me that feels safer this way. The idea of both of us being in the middle of the ocean, far from our kids, makes me uneasy. I think that’s still a ripple from  New Year’s Eve two years ago, when Xen and I ended up taking an ambulance from our local ER to the Children’s Hospital in Orlando. That moment changed something in me, a deeper awareness of how quickly life can shift and how much I want to be close when it matters most.

So, this week, as Mark sails off to network and nurture connections that shape the trajectory of our business, I’ll be here holding down the fort.

Mark has always been the one who travels. He’s the connector, the relationship builder, the one who gets invited into rooms that expand our reach and vision. Over the years, those trips from masterminds to conferences and one-day intensives across the country have transformed our business.

But saying yes to them wasn’t always easy. There were times the expense felt heavy or the timing was tough. When the kids were little, every trip meant juggling more: bedtime routines, meltdowns, and missed moments.

And yet, I always knew it mattered.

Because every time Mark came home, he brought something intangible with him: new ideas, deeper relationships, and renewed inspiration that would ripple into everything we created together.

When our twins were little, the kids and I had our own traditions for when Mark was away. I’d load them into the car for park trips, where we'd spend hours racing Matchbox cars down the slides, or for an afternoon wandering the aisles of Toys R Us. Their favorite part was the Disney princess section. We’d play with the toys for hours, going from aisle to aisle, and usually end up picking out a new Disney princess doll. I think between the two of them, we collected almost every princess.

Those days helped distract them from missing Daddy. But I’ll never forget the time they sat by the front door, wrapped in a blanket, waiting for him to come home. They were only five. I told them he was on his way, and they waited for what felt like hours, faces glowing when he finally walked through the door. I snapped a photo that night. It’s one of my favorites.

The reuniting has always been precious.

Now that they’re older, they understand more. They know that when Mark travels, it’s not just business, it’s building. It’s the kind of work that expands our vision and allows us to keep doing what we love.

And I’ve learned something too: being the one who stays home is its own kind of calling. It’s quieter, less visible, but just as essential. It’s what allows the dream to keep moving forward without everything falling apart behind the scenes.

So, while Mark is away this week, I’ll be home, driving the kids, planning dinner, running the business, and probably texting him updates about the kids and what is happening in the business while he is at sea. I’ll also be cheering him on.

Because I know that what he’s doing out there only works because of what’s happening here: the love, the steadiness, and the home that waits for him to return.

A Thought for You: 
Maybe you’re the traveler, or maybe you’re the one who stays. Either way, both roles matter. Every partnership,  in life or business, relies on someone holding the vision and someone holding the ground.

And both are acts of love.