Over half way done now and exactly two weeks until I'm reunited with my sweetheart. The awful, but typical winter weather has been contributing to my sadness and isolation but now I can see the light at the end of this long, strange journey we've been on for the last four years.
The USS Deployed will be pulling into port for an extended maintenance period where we get to work on marriage, build our family life and repair what has been broken.
The last two months have been an emotional release for me. No longer can I contain feelings which have been bottled up, bobbing along stormy seas for the last few years. It's all coming to a crest and I think that's why this final separation has been so incredibly difficult for me.
Yesterday I just needed encouragement. I needed to be acknowledged somehow. As I've said before in this online journal, encouragement can come in very strange places. After some time in prayer, I logged onto the Virginian Pilot and revisited a columnist by the name of Jacey Eckhart. She is a great voice for mil spouses.
I came across this column:
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/military-spouses-deserve-recognition-elicits-pride-instead-groans
As usual, she hit it spot on. She cleared away the foggy isolation window and gave me a moment of clarity. In that moment, I acknowledged that our life is not normal. And that it's hard. It's really hard sometimes and it's okay to admit that. It's okay to need help and encouragement. While some people consider it weak to seek help through whatever sustains them be it faith or family, I see it as incredibly courageous, and I feel sorry for that person's misguided thinking. Of course we know that we can find unbelievable strength deep within ourselves, but remember that movie About a Boy? Remember that quote from the movie, "no man is an island."
I just looked it up and it's a part of a passage by John Donne.
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
I guess what I just want to put out there today... is to think about this from two perspectives. If you are hurting, or going through something, don't be afraid to ask for help. Remember help can come in many different forms and places. And if you see a friend or family member, or an acquaintance struggling through a life issue, be there for them! Treat them to coffee, have a conversation with them, recommend a book that got you through a hard time. Just don't sit back and let them struggle. Be part of something bigger than yourself. In the end, we'll all be better people for it.
The USS Deployed will be pulling into port for an extended maintenance period where we get to work on marriage, build our family life and repair what has been broken.
The last two months have been an emotional release for me. No longer can I contain feelings which have been bottled up, bobbing along stormy seas for the last few years. It's all coming to a crest and I think that's why this final separation has been so incredibly difficult for me.
Yesterday I just needed encouragement. I needed to be acknowledged somehow. As I've said before in this online journal, encouragement can come in very strange places. After some time in prayer, I logged onto the Virginian Pilot and revisited a columnist by the name of Jacey Eckhart. She is a great voice for mil spouses.
I came across this column:
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/military-spouses-deserve-recognition-elicits-pride-instead-groans
As usual, she hit it spot on. She cleared away the foggy isolation window and gave me a moment of clarity. In that moment, I acknowledged that our life is not normal. And that it's hard. It's really hard sometimes and it's okay to admit that. It's okay to need help and encouragement. While some people consider it weak to seek help through whatever sustains them be it faith or family, I see it as incredibly courageous, and I feel sorry for that person's misguided thinking. Of course we know that we can find unbelievable strength deep within ourselves, but remember that movie About a Boy? Remember that quote from the movie, "no man is an island."
I just looked it up and it's a part of a passage by John Donne.
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
I guess what I just want to put out there today... is to think about this from two perspectives. If you are hurting, or going through something, don't be afraid to ask for help. Remember help can come in many different forms and places. And if you see a friend or family member, or an acquaintance struggling through a life issue, be there for them! Treat them to coffee, have a conversation with them, recommend a book that got you through a hard time. Just don't sit back and let them struggle. Be part of something bigger than yourself. In the end, we'll all be better people for it.
