Knee Deep in the Hooah!

While facing the challenges and major life stresses on the home front when deployment occurs, I am finding my love and appreciation for the small things in life is being rekindled. I guess we all go through these seasons in our lives; when our awareness is brought to a level that melts away the hardened propensity to look over and step on the aromatic real flower at our feet in pursuit of the elusive plastic bouquet that is forever dangled in front of our face. How many times have I overlooked the beauty of the tiniest of things because of my own busyness? Too many times for me to even count I am sure. It still happens too, but to a lesser degree today.

Phone calls are a small piece of paradise for me right now. When Bryan was in Reception and BCT we only got to talk once in the 11 week time. So, we learned to connect through the written word. It is a blessing to have those letters that we sent back and forth. They often expressed a deep love for one another, and a deep commitment to the Army – a commitment we both made even though only one us was sworn in. Now we get to talk on a regular basis, and I am working hard to not forget the blessings that I had in those days when the mailbox was my only link to my beloved. This morning he is headed out to the field for a week. They are practicing land navigation techniques. Before he left he sent me a text message on my phone. He never uses text messaging, but this morning he did. “we are heading out. talk to you next week. love you.” Simple? Yes, but more meaningful than 100 movie dates.

Mail will be my primary way to send encouragement, love, support and morale to Mike in the months to come. Our phone contact will be extremely limited and computer time even more so. So, with this new challenge comes more opportunities to recapture that love and appreciation for the small things. I am waiting for a box that he sent out before he was moved. It has two suits in it. Two suits that he and a friend had made by an Iraqi tailor. I was asked to care for them while they are deployed. They were made for his friend’s wedding that is planned when they return. I want to cry when I think of opening that box. It will be filled with such huge hopes for the future, and it will be mixed with the sand that stings the faces of our soldiers — the sand that irritates them when it gets captured in their boots. The box will contain with in its cardboard walls a message to me that says “Mom, care for my suit because I AM coming home and I am going to carry on with my life when I am done fighting.” He doesn’t even know how much he said when he excitedly told me of the box that is in shipment to our home. Thank you honey. I will take good care of your suit until you come home. You focus ahead, keep up the good work and stay safe. I will take care of the rest.

Last night while I was putting the Pirate to bed, she kept asking for “more kisses!” I had a hard time leaving her room because she always needed one more. I stopped, paused at her door, and remembered that one day she will not need the extra kisses, so tonight was the night to indulge her girly giggles, and my need to lavish some affection on her. I gave her many kisses from me, many from her papa, and many from her brother. She told her papa the other night on the phone that she is a “baby soldier.” She would follow her papa anywhere, and so would I. Thank you Emma for reminding me that we are both soldiers in our own right, and that while we remain at home we too will fight the good fight and keep things in order.