~ Day 14 ~
The homecoming is the best part.
I have a new friend down the street.
She is a new mom, in a new house, in a new town, with a deployed husband.
It doesn’t take long to connect with someone who is in the shoes you have worn to paper-thin soles. It doesn’t take long to remember that feeling of staying behind to hold it all together. It doesn’t take long for the visions of leaking washers, broken alarms, dead car batteries, sick children, temperamental refrigerators, and sleepless nights to resurface.
It doesn’t take long to commiserate in the truth… everything breaks when they are gone.
Deployments begin with a spiteful appliance whispering,
Yea, I’m broken. Thought I’d let you know… now.
Always when they are gone.
My friend with this cherub of a brown-eyed baby boy has reached the end of the parenting alone, the fixing alone, the worrying alone, and the doing alone. Her wait is over.
Homecoming is the very best part.
She shared a story with me. A good deed at a desperate time.
We left our two cars on base here. I was heading home to stay with my parents and we needed to leave the cars in a safe place. When I returned to town and moved into our new house, our friend went to base and returned my car to me. He brought it right to my house.
Here’s the best part…
He went to base to start our other car so he could bring it to our house before my husband gets home. When he got there, the car wouldn’t start. He had the car towed to his own house. After checking out the whole car, he bought and replaced the battery. He kept the car for a few more days and drove it just to make sure it was running well.
Then, he washed it and cleaned it and brought it right to my door. My husband was touched and thankful that someone had taken care of his family while he was gone.
These deployments bring broken appliances, dead batteries, and too many unwelcome surprises.
These deployments… bring out the very best in others.
These deployments bring us to the deepest of gratitude for those who go out of their way… to bring comfort right to our front door.
James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
I don’t have many military spouses in my area (or it’s a little harder to connect when you are a reserve family) but being the one to go out of the way for our military families is something God has surely placed on my heart to do. I’ve been touched already by those around me who are going out of their way to be there for us and my husband hasn’t even left yet. I say many times that God led us to our church for this very reason…he knew how greatly a church family would be needed when my husband did deploy.
And oh how I will be ready for that welcome home!!!
Hugs to you friend,
Beth
We didn’t have very many families from our squadron nearby for the last 3 deployments either, Beth. We were in a guard unit that was geographically spread out. Back in active duty now, we live around many more military families. The cool thing is, just like you, it was our church family and our neighbors that went out of their way to help me during those deployments. God puts us right where we need to be (if we let Him). The homecoming is awesome!! Almost (only, almost) makes it all worth it. One of my favorite photos of my husband and 4 of our kids is one when he arrived home a few years ago. Priceless. Praying for your husband and YOU during his deployment! The two weeks before they leave are the hardest. You can do this. 🙂 Hugs to you.