This year will be the 16th Thanksgiving my husband and I have been married and the eighth one we’ve had to celebrate separately because of geographic separation. While our sons and I look forward to spending Thanksgiving in Dallas with dear friends while my husband is deployed, it reminds me of how our military lifestyle has shaped and molded us into what spending the holidays together looks like for military families. You make the most of whatever situation you’re in at the moment!
When your spouse is deployed even small tasks can feel daunting. Project Evergreen comes in and takes care of your yard (and/or snow removal) for free.
Every year, Oct. 26 is celebrated as the National Day of the Deployed, a day where we honor all of those who have deployed in service to the nation, as well as the sacrifices military families must make while their loved one is overseas. Since 2012, every state in the U.S. observes the day.
And they should.
When I learned that my husband was going to deploy this year, their relationship left me nervous. It would be our first longer separation and the first my son would remember. I couldn’t help but worry, not only for them, but also for me. How would I connect with my son the way he connects with his dad?
My 3 1/2 year old son is a daddy’s boy, through and through.
He loves playing cars and dinos with Dad, matching clothes with Dad, and helping Dad with all the household tasks and projects.
Have you heard the song, “Watching You” by Rodney Atkins? (If not, you can listen here.) That’s them, in a nutshell.
In Fly Safe, the reader gets a very realistic glimpse of what it’s like for spouses and families back home during a war when there was no internet or texting.
During deployments and other separations, the spouse or significant other holds down the fort at home.
All the resources and blogs say that you don’t have to do the fort-holding alone.
You can and should ask for help when you need it, they say.
PILLAR is a great place for spouses to get support, connect with each other, & learn how to manage relationships with all – deployed spouse, children, in-laws.
In this week’s MEM Sarah discusses the age-old question of should I stay or should I go when my spouse deploys. She shares the reasoning behind both options.
“10,000 miles never felt so far” as when you can’t call the one person you want to. Dariann’s latest song is about handling her Marine boyfriend being deployed.
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