A Year Home Update

Sometimes it is hard to believe that almost a year has passed since our hero returned home.  He has been home now for just about the same amount of time he was deployed.  Not sure which one seems longer.

Our year alone was a hard, painful year.  Sometimes it seems like a distant memory and other days it is still as painful as it was when we were in the middle of it all.  Although it was not our first rodeo, it was one that about kicked our backsides.

Deployments are not easy.  They are often not pretty.  If I have one major complaint about deployments, it is that the general public wants to glorify them, wrap them up in a shiny package, and make it all look pretty.

I still look at all those Facebook videos of soldiers coming home and cringe.  Yes, they are beautiful, but they also do not tell the whole story.  The reality is that many come home unnoticed to empty airports.  My husband was one of those heroes.  We were new in town and the one couple we knew graciously drove us to the airport for his late night return, staying in the car so as not to overwhelm him.

He de-boarded the plane minus the uniform, as many do, to not be noticed.  While we waited with a welcome sign that made his homecoming obvious, we got several looks, but not once did anyone in that airport acknowledge our hero or his service.

 

It made it all seem surreal.  We simply grabbed his bags and headed home.  To a new-to-him house that was empty.  (Our moving truck came a week later)

Despite everything else, we have much to be thankful for-

• He returned home. Many do not.  A fact we do not take lightly.

• Days after his return, there were several attacks and fatalities in the area he had just been in.

• Our transition, while challenging at times, has been fairly smooth.

• We have been assured there are no more deployments lurking.  

God is faithful.  He provided in our year alone and He has provided in this past year together.  As the holidays draw closer, let me encourage you to find a military family whose spouse is deployed to bless in some small way.  Just a simple acknowledgment of their sacrifice means more than you can ever know.

Bless and be blessed!