We're a couple months into Dan's deployment. The glamor and adrenaline rush from the first month has worn off; we're in our new reality. I don't think I could ever have understood what it's like to go through this experience just by listening to any of my army wife friends. Recently I met an Army wife by chance at church who's husband just deployed 2 days before. One look at her face and I knew exactly how she was feeling. It was the same feelings I had for the 24 hours after Dan left. As she talked about the adjustment, her young children and the deep emotions of those first 2 days, we both shed tears together... we had only met a few minutes prior but there there was an immediate understanding of what she (and I) was going through.
I keep going back to some wise words that a dear friend here at Drum, a fellow Army wife, told me... "this deployment is a gift." An opportunity to GROW like never before. A time to rely on my Heavenly Father in new ways. A time to fan the flame of my marriage and be reminded of all the amazing reasons I love that man. A chance to get to know my daughters more deeply. A time to build important friendships with others that will help remind us of Truth when our thoughts go to places they shouldn't. A season to learn how to ask for help from others and to be quick to offer help to those in need.
And in just these few months, I have already been on the receiving end of so much love and care from others, near and far. People I've never met (and may never meet) continue to send me messages telling me of their commitment to daily pray for our family and all of 1-89 CAV. Random people contacting Dan to send care packages to our troops and say they're praying for them. Friends from all our different seasons of life have consistently been reaching out to us expressing their care for us and Dan's fellow soldiers and, of course, praying for us all. My Fort Drum friends have been a tremendous blessing. It's a unique experience to have genuine friendships with people you enjoy while also truly helping each others' families function well in the day to day.
So, anyway, remember when we were little and we would do ANYTHING to grow? Well, I think that's how God feels about us. I think He will do anything it takes for us to have opportunities to grow closer to Him. Yes, sometimes it hurts to grow. There are times when my heart truly aches because I miss my best friend and first love or because I hear our daughters cry for their daddy to hold them or play with them. But even then, I know that the Lord is growing all of us in this experience to put our trust in His never-failing love and presence with us.
My wonderful friend, Heather, introduced me to an amazing song recently. This will definitely be added to my deployment anthem soundtrack: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United I hope you'll take a few minutes to be encouraged by it :)!
Thank you, dear friends, for reading this and for your care and prayers for us and our 1-89 CAV family. May we see those opportunities for real growth that our Loving Father continues to give us and trust in His eternal love!
