The last few days have been a whirlwind of emotions for me. I am so proud of Josh for not giving up on his dream and getting a teaching position; I am so scared of being here without him for five months with the three boys (August to December) while we wait for housing to be completed; and I am heartbroken at the mere idea of my boys missing him even half as much as I know I will miss him.
The one thing that gives me strength and brings me hope?
All of you military wives I know.
And so many more women who I may or may not know personally.
You have all been through this. And for way longer amounts of time. Missing not only your husband, but the father of your children. Dealing not only with your own emotions, but those of your children who are too young to understand why Daddy has to leave. Thinking of you and how beautifully I have seen you deal with deployment gives me hope that I can survive (and even thrive) in those few short months without Josh.
{Oh, and ladies, any advice about how to best prepare the boys for this would be welcome!!!}
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We've started watching Flying Wild Alaska per Roxanne's recommendation, and I am so glad we are. It is not only entertaining, it is a clear picture for me of just what I'm getting into. (For those of you who watch it, Bethel would be our main hub- where our mail and supplies would come from after being shipped from Anchorage.) Watching this has helped answer some questions I have about life up North.
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So that's where we're at.
Living it up these last few months while we still have Josh at home, and trying to enjoy the last bit of being pregnant before life really gets crazy!!!
6 comments:
Glad you're watching Flying Wild!
Some days will be harder and you'll learn that when one is down, the other will pick you up. You'll cry, have a pity party, then pick yourself up!
Enjoy this time and don't count down yet.
Also, I have a feeling Josh will be coming home on long weekends during that 5 months so hopefully you'll be able to go in increments. "Just make it til Memorial Day... Just make it til Thanksgiving..." etc. Sometimes the whole picture is too big!
I was also thinking this fall, on a night Blake has school, we should eat dinner together. Keeping busy and having weekly things to look forward to help a lot. (Remember me coming over for Top Model when Blake was gone?!)
I love you. You don't know how strong you are, until you have to be. :)
Oh, I can't even imagine!
I hope these next few months are some of the most precious you have had and there are tons of fond memories!
And then I hope the NEXT several months FLY BY with ease :)
Its going to be rough, really rough but you are going to be able to get through it all. Its a day by day thing. But you do know dates and all. You can also make a "daddy coming home" chart or calendar/chain so they can see when he is going to return. You have a good support system there too!
I say all of this while we are in the middle of the six weeks of daddy being gone. My kids have enjoyed skype. So set up a schedule to skype with him and it will pass the time and they can see him! It will all be worth it all in the end ;)
Oh Shelly, Just know that you are not alone. I will hold you and your family up in prayer. I love you and your crew more then words can express. Start looking for cheap plane fares now for those long weekends and if you ever want to take a road trip just to get away from the day to day routine, you and the boys are always welcome here in Salem.
Another thing you can do ahead of time is find some time for Josh to read a story for them and video it. Then he can "read" to the boys whenever they want a story! They are young so they dont really get the whole concept of time but its the little things that get you through. You will be busy and so busy sometimes that the weeks feel like days but then some days will feel like weeks.... but in the end, when he comes home and you see him in that airport terminal or pull into your driveway, its all just a memory!
As a single mom I will say it is doable, just keep telling yourself it is for a short while and that will help.
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