Bobbi Pack (Nov. 12, 2013) It’s that day…. the day I have waited nine long months for….. 270 days… I am ready for the clock to strike that magic number and tell me to go to pick up my knight in shining green. Yes you guessed it–my soldier is returning to US soil today! Even though I have been through deployments before, it never gets any easier. It always rips my heart out to tell my soldier “see you soon”.
Okay, I am going to back track to 270 days ago, the day I had to be strong for our two kiddos–I had to be their rock. We watch the bus leave and that is it… there he goes, off to war again. My soldier was gone for nine months, wow… I was really not going to hug him for nine months. Yes, tears began to roll down my face, it hit me like a ton of bricks… I was on my own again. He always tells me, “I will be back, you have nothing to worry about…” ya right! He is headed to a war zone, I never know where he is, what he is doing, or if he is alright. I can’t bring myself to watch the news while he is deployed either. I am so scared to hear those words on the TV or the knock at the door… if you are a military spouse you know what I am talking about.
Now, what am I going to do with myself for nine months… I have to stay busy so I will not focus on my soldier, my other half being in a war zone. Here are a few tips on how to stay busy during a deployment.
1. Keep the kiddos involved in many activities: sports, dance classes, art classes, etc.
2. Journal writing…write down your thoughts, your dreams, your hopes…trust me it helps.
3. Take mini-vacations with your family to the beach, hiking, camping, fishing, etc.
4. Have Friday family fun nights…make homemade pizza, have a carpet picnic and watch a movie.
5. Take pictures of all your activities and document your 270 day journey for your soldier… trust me they will thank you.
You must stay busy and focus on keeping yourself healthy. Remember you have a house, kiddos, and others that are depending on you. Your soldier knows you can do this or they would have never signed up to serve their country. They know you are strong and you have to keep telling yourself that. Deployment is a scary thing for all involved, I can’t tell you what happens over there as my soldier has never told me and honestly I am not sure I would want to know. It scares the tar out of me to watch movies about war so I sure as heck don’t want to know what he saw. If he wanted to tell me I would listen as I am his wife, but I just can’t bring myself to ask him.
This life we live as military spouses is hard and to me the hardest part is the deployments. I thank God everyday for bringing my soldier safe back to me, but I still think about all the other spouses who did not get their soldier back. It brings tears to my eyes to think about them… what are they going through, what are they feeling, how are they going on…. I don’t know, and I can’t tell them I know how they feel as I do not. All I know is I can be there for them if they need me.
My soldier returned home from a nine month deployment this month and thankfully all of the soldiers who left with him returned home with him. However, as a military spouse if there was a solder who did not make it home, I would want to be there for the spouse in anyway I could. Even if that is just praying for them and their family. I can’t imagine the pain they feel, and I hope I never have to. Jumping back to the beginning… my soldier is on US soil again and I am so happy. I can still remember seeing that handsome man in green walking up to me… he looked more handsome than the day I said I Do…. he looked amazing! He had such a big smile on his face, he was just as happy to be back as I was for him to be back…. all I could think of was he was safe! Thank God my soldier was safe and back in my arms where he belonged. I had waited… cried… had sleepless nights and held back the tears for our kiddos for nine months… it was time for me to take my soldier home…. back to our family.
Bobbi Pack is a contributing writer for Remember Heroes. Bobbi has over ten years experience in marketing and broadcast as well as a BA from Ottawa University and an MSM from Baker University. Bobbi has many years experience being a military spouse and loves to share her experiences, challenges and highlights with other military spouses.
Bobbi is the proud wife of Mike, an active duty Army Soldier and mother of two amazing Army kiddos and two loving four-legged Army kiddos as well. Bobbi is currently stationed with her family in North Carolina and is loving it. You can check out more of Bobbi’s blogs, military deals and discounts at http://www.mymilitarysavings.com .
(Photo by Bobbi Pack)