Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, no one was stirring, except one military spouse. She knew what tonight was, but wasn’t feeling the cheer, her husband of 12 years was simply not here. He was serving his country, on deployment #4, she simply couldn’t wait until April, when he would walk…
I am sure you have heard it before, when you are telling a friend that your spouse has to deploy for six months. They look at you and say, “I could never do it.” And you just want to roll your eyes a bit because even though you understand what they are saying, you also…
When your spouse joins the military, one of the things you have to be okay with is raising your children away from family. You won’t always be stationed close to home. You might be across the country, or even the ocean from everything you have ever known. This can be hard to adjust to and…
There was so much to do that day, and my patience was running thin. He had been gone for a few months now, so most days were better than they had been. Still, I felt on edge and on the verge of tears. I send one kid off to school, took one to hourly care,…
When they are gone for Thanksgiving, the holiday changes. What you did before, you might not be able to do this year. Some traditions will have to be postponed. You make plans with a few other spouses from your FRG. One has volunteered to make the turkey, the other stuffing and dessert. You will bring…
Christmas 2008, my friend and I took our kids out to the local Christmas Market. We lived in a small village and even they had a small Christmas market. I love Germany during the Christmas season. They go big. Every town square is decorated. Most towns and villages have their own Christmas markets and you…
I couldn’t believe he was gone. I couldn’t believe this deployment had started. I couldn’t believe I had to go through this again. I certainly didn’t feel strong enough for this. I didn’t feel strong enough for the deployment. I didn’t feel strong enough for military life. And yet, somehow, the days went by. Somehow…