Tales From the Homefront – Count Down

This is my 200th post – How appropriate is that!

As we prepare for my husband’s upcoming deployment, I am never more cognisant of the value of applying the principles which I share with my readers on a regular basis. Life is a journey of peaks and valleys and if you only hope for, focus on and remember the peaks then you will have a life only half-lived. The beauty of the journey is in between those memorable moments, in the gaps filled with our ordinary every day existence. That is where the laughter, the love and living occur. Life is about growing, moving forward and stretching ourselves to become so much more than we thought we could.

It is with a heavy, but pride-filled heart that I approach another chapter in our family saga. It will not be our first deployment or separation, but it will be the longest and right now it seems an eternity. If I am being totally honest as the date draws near, I can admit that the apprehension, fear, frustration and self-doubt grow as the date approaches. We (and by that I mean me mostly) hear the incessant chatter of; “What if something goes wrong?” “How can I ease my children’s pain of separation?” “How will I manage the house, the kids, the bills, the repairs all by myself?” “How will I deal with my loneliness, fear and anxiety?”

The answers are; things will go wrong and I will fix them; I cannot ease the pain only encourage and comfort; I do not have to manage on my own; I can ask for help. There will be times when I am overcome by feelings of distress. I will have my little break-down and get back up and in the game. There is no other option.

We've survived this before - A difficult goodbye

So I will make the choice to be grateful for the experience that forces me to develop and expand further than is comfortable, to learn and feel more than is imaginable. Yes, I will be lonely and apprehensive, mentally drained and physically exhausted; but I will also be proud and joyful, capable and triumphant, thankful and loving.

For the next 6 months I intend to occasionally share my experiences, thoughts, feelings and lessons throughout this journey so that it may not only ease my isolation, but also provide hope and inspiration to others(military or not) who are going through similar trials.

Stay tuned, it will be interesting…

What are you grateful for today? Please share! If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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