Party Hats Optional
I mentioned in an earlier post that Mike’s anniversary of deployment is fast approaching as is his 23rd birthday. I am really struggling with this one, folks. I am putting together a box of some-some (I am not telling lest he peeks at this entry and spoils the surprise, so if you must know what it is… send me an email and I may tell you ;) ). I am struggling with trying to make the box perfect. This far into deployment, and with all of the water he has tread (so to speak) anything that I send at this point feels so trivial and so ‘tokenish.’ The only real gift I feel like I could send would be a box of peace, rest and a ticket home. I can’t give that, so all I can send are some things that he can enjoy for the moment, and hopefully they will distract him for a day or two.
I went to the store the other day to pick out a birthday card. That was a very hard task. I have never had to spend so long a time in the card section, but the problem I encountered centered around the fact that there were no appropriate messages to be found. What kind of card do you send a young man who is in a place like Iraq?
“Happy Birthday! The world is your oyster and you will have a day of sunshine and happiness!”
“Happy Birthday! May you have a day filled with rest, relaxation and lots of cake!”
None of those kinds of messages felt appropriate to me. I wonder why? The answer is painfully obvious. The card I really wanted would have said this:
“Happy Birthday! I know it sucks right now, but soon it will suck a lot less. I love you, be careful, stay safe, and remember that home is closer with each day. ”
It would have been nice to find one that was at least neutral, and after a long search I finally found one that was not all rainbows and butterflies.
We can’t play catch up. All we can do when he gets home is slow down and enjoy our time together. The time that we have in the moment is precious. That’s the real gift I have in store for him. It can’t be shipped and it can’t be bought. It’s just a gift handed to us from the grace of God, and what we do with it can make it sweet or bitter. I plan on making it sweeter than birthday cake and ice cream.
Your love and support are worth more than anything. It’s not easy deciding what to send during these final months. Won’t be long before the mail cutoff date is issued, followed by the trip home and precious family time. A glorious Easter to you and your family!
Cathy… I have a feeling that the longest time (perception wise anyway) is between now and the end of deployment. I have been saying that all along! :)
I hope you and your family have a most wonderful Easter too. I am ready for the Spring!
Happy Easter to the Hooah house.
I am glad to hear you found a card that would suffice. I try and always go for the blank on the inside cards with a nice picture of a pet or outdoor scene. That way I can just write in the exact greeting I want. It can be super tough to get the perfect card when the circumstances are a bit out of the ordinary.
I hope the days fly by as the deployment comes to an end. :)
Miz Claire, with your and Mr Hooah!’s artistic ability, have you considered making your own cards? I think there are several websites like Blue Mountain. com that you can use to create your own. Pretty cool in that you can print them so that they can be sent via snail mail or emailed. Go ahead and give Hallmark and American Greetings a run for their money!
btw, Have a wonderful Good Friday and a blessed Easter. Please tell Mike there are loads of people who are wishing him a wonderful birthday and are saying prayers for him and all our soldiers.
Claire - the warmth in this part just made me smile…
The time that we have in the moment is precious. That’s the
real gift I have in store for him. It can’t be shipped and it can’t
be bought. It’s just a gift handed to us from the grace of God,
and what we do with it can make it sweet or bitter. I plan on
making it sweeter than birthday cake and ice cream
A Happy Birthday to Mike from us all! I agree with Ky Woman, btw, cards are a great idea!
I know that as a Soldier’s Angel, I’ve often struggled to find cards that aren’t overly sappy. I mean…how would you like to get a card filled with flowers and saccharine from a complete stranger? :-D
I usually end up writing letters - which I guess are better…but once in a while it would be great to just find a nice card. Or two.
Thank you Jade, KyWoman and Piper! I am going to have to talk with Mr. H! about venturing into the card business. We could do some funny ones with the jokes about MREs. That seems to be a good universal-goes-across-all-branches, kind of joke! Food for thought (no pun intended ;) )