Deployment Sucks

For weeks, I’ve been trying to write a blog for a good friend of mine.  She’s going through her first deployment. I’m not sure why I’ve had such a hard time trying to find the words to write this blog, but I’ve had a few partial paragraphs saved… for far too long.

I finally came to the conclusion that all the things I’d written were insignificant. The bottom line is that it’s a completely difference experience for us all. Our guys have completely different jobs. I can tell her what it was like for me, but it doesn’t matter because I know enough to know that’s not what it will be like for her.
I can write all sorts of mundane things about how staying busy makes the time go by faster, etc, etc. But none of that really matters.

So, I deleted the paragraphs I’d written. Instead, I’m going to defer to some of my favorite quotes. I think sometimes, less really is more.

We often hear about the sacrifices soldiers make for their nation, but we rarely hear about their spouses’ struggles. Army Wives are bound by an unwritten code. They are expected to endure hardships with graciousness and tragedies with heads held high.
-- “Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives”

The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.
“I have this theory that the more important and intimate the emotion, the fewer words are required to express it. For instance, in dating: ‘Will you go out with me?’ Six words. ‘I really care for you.’ Five words. ‘You matter to me.’ Four words. ‘I love you.’ Three words. ‘Marry me.’ Two words. So what’s left? What’s the one more important and intimate word you can ever say to somebody? It’s ‘goodbye.’”

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm, terrible. But they have never found these dangers sufficient enough to keep them ashore. –Vincent Van Gogh

Distance is not for the fearful, it is for the bold. It's for those who are willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love. It's for those knowing a good thing when they see it, even if they don't see it nearly enough.

Missing someone isn’t about how long it’s been since you’ve seen them last, or the amount of time since you last talked. It’s about the very moment when you’re doing something and you wish that they were right there with you.

You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." --Christopher Robin.

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

E, I think the world of you. Despite the fact that we’re on opposite schedules these days and have fallen out of touch, I still think of you and your family often. I know right now, this whole thing feels impossible and I know that nothing I say will really make it feel less so. Just know that I am ALWAYS here for you, no matter what, day or night.