This is one of the first times in my life that I have woken up on July 4th and had a completely new perspective on what that day actually means. The reason being is that on this particular day I woke up, in my bed, without my husband, for the 78th time since he left on deployment. I won't see him again until almost Thanksgiving. He is out there defending our country so we can celebrate holidays like this. It's because of people like him and every other solider/sailor/airman(woman) in our military that we even have a July 4th to celebrate.
I have had mixed feelings about the deployment, like any new Navy wive I imagine. Some days are easy, you get into routine, work, home, you distract yourself with projects and going out with friends. And other days are just so difficult, I can barely drag myself out of bed. One night two months after he left I had a nightmare that woke me in the middle of the night and I reached across the bed to try and grab his hand, and I cried when in the following moment I remembered that he isn't there, and won't be for a long time.
You always hear "protect and support the military men and women and their families." I guess I never really thought about myself as one of those people attached to "...the families" part. I didn't come from a military family like my husband did, so this is all kind of new for me. The thing I can tell you is that the fact that my husband is a Naval Officer, however much that complicated our relationship, has not lessened my love for him. Quite the opposite in fact. Yes the time apart sucks and the distance great, but this man is making a great sacrifice to keep our way of life sustainable. I have a great respect for him for what he does, and I will be waiting on that pier when he gets home....
So please, on this day, our Nation's 239th Birthday, when you are all doing your celebrating (I will be doing some BBQing myself) take a moment out of your day and think about my husband, and all the other husbands and wives, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters who are not home today because they are fighting so we can have a July 4th 2010.
Happy Birthday America!
Ugh I have had that nightmare experience before. That's the worst!!! Hope the rest of this deployment flies for you!
ReplyDeleteJuly 4th has new meaning to those left alone while the hubs is out defending the nation! I had mine home the past 2 years, but our first July 4th as a married couple was spent apart so I know how heavy your heart was and how proud you were on that day!
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