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…

From the book:

“Be brutally honest with yourself. Your time on earth is limited. Shouldn’t you start making the most of it? If you knew you had one month to live, you would look at everything from a different perspective. Many of the things you do now that seem so important would immediately become meaningless. You would have total clarity about what matters most, and you wouldn’t hesitate to be spontaneous and risk your heart. You wouldn’t wait until tomorrow to do what you need to do today. The way you lived that month would be the way you wished you had lived your whole life.

If you knew you had one month to live, your life would be radically transformed. But why do we wait until we’re diagnosed with cancer or we lose a loved one to accept this knowledge and allow it to free us? Don’t we want all that life has to offer? Don’t we want to fulfill the purpose for which we were created? Wouldn’t life be a lot more satisfying if we lived this way?

I’m challenging you to start living your life as though you have one month to live, and I’ve designed this book to help you. There are four universal principles in the one-month-to-live lifestyle: to live passionately, to love completely, to learn humbly, and to leave boldly. I’ve divided this book into four sections or “weeks” accordingly, and I encourage you to live these next thirty days as if they were your last.”

I find this book to be fascinating, thought-provoking and inspiring. Happy reading! What will you do with your one month?

Yes, we’re busy.  Certainly we have way too much to do and not enough time to do it in.  Of course we’re under stress and pressure.  Undoubtedly we’re exhausted and overwhelmed.  And? That’s life my friend.

If we step back for a minute, don’t we like something about our work?  We surely love the money and benefits we get from it if nothing else. Perhaps we even get satisfaction or recognition from it. If not, then at least it finances the rest of our lives.

We certainly value and love our children, family and friends.  They’re annoying at times, but funny and supportive at others. We may never know what to expect, but they add something of significance to our lives and keep us from being dull.

We can even the respect how tired we are. That usually means that we are contributing something to the world and hopefully accomplishing our goals and that feels good.

Contentment not a place you get to, but a place inside you that you can step into and experience at any time. It is quiet and busy, calming and energizing all at the same time.  It may be submerged under chores and worries, busyness and chaos, but if you look deep enough it’s there – I promise. You just have to look!