Deployment
It is a part of military life more now then ever. We are on our third deployment since 2006 and contrary to popular belief they do not get easier, they also don't really get any harder. Each deployment has had different circumstances some good some bad with the end result always the same and for that I am thankful. If you are new to military life or maybe not so new but have never been through an actual deployment go ahead take a deep breath and say it out loud DEPLOYMENT! There ya go not so scary is it?
I will not even try to rehash our first deployment five years ago with three children all under the age of four. Even I have no idea how I managed that one! Then the second deployment came way to soon after the first I was pregnant with our fourth child and due right around the time he was scheduled to come home. He made it thank goodness by not even two full weeks but at least he was home. Two months later my husband went remote and well that is a whole other story completely.
This deployment has been very different then the first two yet not so different. We live in a completely different state for starters. After Brent's remote as in oh 12 hours after we said goodbye to the best neighbors a young mom could ask for and drove four days straight from Oklahoma to North Carolina. We have lived here now for almost 23 months but when Brent left in October I was still in the early stages of trying to make friends. I must say that since October I have become fast friends with a wonderful group of women who have proven their blessing to me over and over again.
Another difference is I have five children to take care of without the helping hands of my husband instead of the three I had for the first two deployments. We suffer from Murphy's law of deployment just like every other deployed family meaning that the minute your spouse leaves everything and I do mean everything starts to fall apart or go wrong. You have to learn to see the humor in it you really do but after awhile seeing the humor in 5 kids playing pass the stomach bug every other week since Christmas starts to go down the toilet! Changing light bulbs at our house is a family affair, grocery shopping is an adventure even when I only have to take the youngest two and our day to day reality is always a challenge from getting morning responsibilities done to getting them all in bed at night.
Another difference is just how close I feel to my husband even though we are thousands of miles apart. Brent has never really had a "normal" deployment. We did not get to Skype he just recently got wifi access so that might change, phone calls are limited and emails are short but sweet. But really that is not the closeness I am referring to anyhow. It is almost as if our souls are able to communicate without the need for technology to connect them. Before Brent left we had reached a point of compatibility, love and trust that we have never seen before in our marriage. I can not point out the one thing that changed it all I think it was a combination of many things that finally brought us to the same chapter, same page, same word and letter of our life book. That unity has been and is wonderful.
I am sure there will be more deployments for us over then next nine plus years and I am sure there will be lots of changes as time goes on. In this life it is always hurry up and wait then wait a little longer then do something else completely. Just remember every deployment must come to an end. You can take what it gives you and learn from it become empowered by it or leave the experience bitter and angry. I am doing my best to learn from it I hope the lessons I have learned show in the way I live my life and raise my children show in the way I love my husband.
I will not even try to rehash our first deployment five years ago with three children all under the age of four. Even I have no idea how I managed that one! Then the second deployment came way to soon after the first I was pregnant with our fourth child and due right around the time he was scheduled to come home. He made it thank goodness by not even two full weeks but at least he was home. Two months later my husband went remote and well that is a whole other story completely.
This deployment has been very different then the first two yet not so different. We live in a completely different state for starters. After Brent's remote as in oh 12 hours after we said goodbye to the best neighbors a young mom could ask for and drove four days straight from Oklahoma to North Carolina. We have lived here now for almost 23 months but when Brent left in October I was still in the early stages of trying to make friends. I must say that since October I have become fast friends with a wonderful group of women who have proven their blessing to me over and over again.
Another difference is I have five children to take care of without the helping hands of my husband instead of the three I had for the first two deployments. We suffer from Murphy's law of deployment just like every other deployed family meaning that the minute your spouse leaves everything and I do mean everything starts to fall apart or go wrong. You have to learn to see the humor in it you really do but after awhile seeing the humor in 5 kids playing pass the stomach bug every other week since Christmas starts to go down the toilet! Changing light bulbs at our house is a family affair, grocery shopping is an adventure even when I only have to take the youngest two and our day to day reality is always a challenge from getting morning responsibilities done to getting them all in bed at night.
Another difference is just how close I feel to my husband even though we are thousands of miles apart. Brent has never really had a "normal" deployment. We did not get to Skype he just recently got wifi access so that might change, phone calls are limited and emails are short but sweet. But really that is not the closeness I am referring to anyhow. It is almost as if our souls are able to communicate without the need for technology to connect them. Before Brent left we had reached a point of compatibility, love and trust that we have never seen before in our marriage. I can not point out the one thing that changed it all I think it was a combination of many things that finally brought us to the same chapter, same page, same word and letter of our life book. That unity has been and is wonderful.
I am sure there will be more deployments for us over then next nine plus years and I am sure there will be lots of changes as time goes on. In this life it is always hurry up and wait then wait a little longer then do something else completely. Just remember every deployment must come to an end. You can take what it gives you and learn from it become empowered by it or leave the experience bitter and angry. I am doing my best to learn from it I hope the lessons I have learned show in the way I live my life and raise my children show in the way I love my husband.
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