So says the soldier

So going along the lines of the last few posts, here's something I found that describes things pretty well. This one comes from the soldier's point of view... I'll have to ask Robert if he agrees at all.

Military Man's Promise:

I cannot promise you every night of my life. I cannot promise to be beside you for every difficult moment, every trial, and every hardship. In truth, I can promise you that I will not be with you for most. I will leave you at inconvenient times. Any special date to us may be tainted with the anniversary of the death of one of my friends. I will ask you to take over whatever life we have built together for months and years at a time. And I will then crash back into that life that you have used your sweat, your tears and your heartache to keep together, and try to take it back as I knew it before.

I will shut you out at times because it will be the best way for me to hold it together at that moment. I will lie to you. I will tell you I don't know things when I do. I will not always tell you where I am going, when I will be back, or who I am with. I may not call you for weeks and months and you will not be able to call me. You will ask questions that I won't answer. You will know answers to questions that you will hope you never need.

I will share things with my brothers that you will never understand. They will know things about me that you never will. They will be a support to me in some things that you cannot be. I will miss birthdays. I will miss anniversaries. I may need time to process things that seem natural to everyone else.

It will seem that someone - or something - will always take precedence over you.

I will uproot you and ask you to re-establish our family anywhere in the world, in any season, at any time - over and over again. Sand and mud will be tracked through your halls from the boots I am too tired to take off.

I will leave you when you beg me not to. I will stand at attention while you cry beside me. I will not turn my head and I will walk away. I will knowingly break your heart. And I will do it again - and again. I cannot promise you all of me. I cannot promise you much of anything.

But if you will have me, I can promise that as I march away from you, it is not without sharing your heartache. I promise you that every time I break your heart I will be breaking mine. Every time that I cannot answer you I will be protecting you. Whenever you want to call and you have no number to dial, I will be wanting to do the same. I will protect everything that we have created together with every fiber of my being while you do the same back at home. I will honor you in everything - every moment that we are apart and every moment that I am with you. I will fight harder and push further knowing that I do so for you. And I will carry you with me in everything, until my sandy boots once again sit just inside our door.

 

Reading that, some of you might say that's a terrible relationship/marriage but I also know that many of you finished reading and all you remember is the last paragraph. In the end he makes it all worth it.

 

 

You're thankful for WHAT?!

It's a little early for the holiday but I had a {Fall Party} last night and it got me in the mood. God has blessed me in numerous ways, I can't even list everything. Piggy backing off of my last post I'm going to share, with those of you who are curious, why I am thankful for a year long deployment.

 - Gain a greater reliance on God.
Robert is litterally half a world away, talk about feeling out of control, I know know I have no control it is God who is going to rule over Robert's and my life.
 - Lots of girl time.
From movie nights, to bead parties, birthday celebrations, to holidays, these women become a part of my family and I love them as sisters.
 - Sleeping spread eagle.
Yeah, a queen size bed all to myself to sleep in whichever direction or shape my heart/dreams desire.
 - Crunchy Peanut Butter.
You heard me, Robert prefers creamy to crunchy while it's not a big deal to me I get to have a year of crunchy peanut butter.
 - Finding new ways to love each other.
A kiss isn't possible, an I love you is but most of the time the expression feels like it falls short of the feelings. We get to find new ways to show each other we love them, ways we wouldn't bother with otherwise.
 - Writing letters.
Truly a lost art. I can only speak for myself but when I go to my mailbox and recoognize Robert's handwriting among bills and all the credit card applications my heart flips, spins, and jumps.
 - Domestic duties.
I continue to do them just not as often... The chili I made Wednesday lasts me until Saturday, I have enough clothes to make it 2 weeks without even looking at the laundry, dishes last longer, dusting and vacuuming are at a minimum, and I love it!
 - I gain a greater appreciation for all that Robert does.
Robert's the cook in our family, already there are nights when I'm rockin' the PB&J meals, and for the record cereal IS acceptable for dinner. Changing the oil, mowing the yard, things like that.
 - Missing his smile.
Yeah weird right, I am thankful for missing my husband's smile. Only because when I picture it in my head I feel so much joy and love, and those are definitely things to be thankful for.
 - No arguing.
By the time I get that phone call I can't be anything but happy. Robert and I haven't argued for 6 and a half months which is way longer than most civilian married couples.

Be thankful. For every morning you wake up beside them, for every "I love you," for every time they offer to drive, for every meal ready to eat when you get home, for the things they do but don't have to, for the smile they bring to your face, for the flips, spins, and jumps they give your heart. Be thankful.

I love my soldier

  As an Army wife I am asked numerous questions about my life. Some are better than others, but that's beside the point :)
  For the most part people are honestly just trying to understand the way of life that I am living. I love that people are interested and it makes me feel like they support the life Robert and I chose; however, sometimes the questions are hard to answer. A couple examples...

 - "Robert's gone, don't you miss him?"
Prime example, how do people expect me to answer this question? "No actually, I don't. He's just my husband why should I miss him?" Come on, of course I miss him. I miss him everyday he is gone, somedays are worse than others, but there are many more good days than bad.

 - "I don't know how you do it, you're so strong."
Thank you, but again how do I respond to that. I fell in love with Robert regardless of his job. In fact, the things that make him an amazing soldier, his dedication, selflessness, and leadership only made me fall harder in love with him. My life does not stop when Robert is away, God has a plan for me and I desire his plan for my life.

  Usually, the hardest part for people to grasp is how we as military wives deal with deployments. I would say that it definitely isn't for everyone, but God has been growing Robert and I long before we had ever met. God designed me to be a suitable helper for Robert from the beginning (Genesis 2:18).
  To be honest I am thankful for our life together, even if that means for a year he is away. It is so much easier for us to truly cherish our time together because we know how quickly it can be taken from us.