On to the adventure!

We said goodbye to my husband the better part of a week ago.  It was very difficult, but now we are marching on.  We'll be okay.  

He's called 3 times so far, and it is so good to hear his voice.  It's amazing he can be so far away and yet I can hear him so clearly.  And to hear his laugh... that is like music.  

My older kids have mentioned a few times that Daddy is going to die.  That is sad to hear from your children's lips.  I have talked it over with them, reassuring them as much as I can.  They seem to understand a bit more that death isn't inevitable, but I'm sure we'll have to cover it again.

And we're going to have an adventure while he is away.  He'll have his own adventure, and we'll have ours.  Lots of field trips and exploring the area we live in.  Starting some new traditions for us to help fill the lonely hours, which I hope will make some great memories.  

All in all, I feel hopeful, even if a bit lonely for him.  Oh, the things we will have to share with him!  And then he won't have to worry about us back here.  He can do his job, knowing we are ok.

Saying goodbye

Don't worry - I'm not leaving blogging.

I just have to send my husband off to a different country.  

This is very hard.  I'm trying so hard to hold on to the hours, but they are slipping through my fingers.  I am praising God, because I was supposed to drop him off tonight with his unit, but we've been given a bit more time.  I'll take every bit I can get!

Once again, I wish I could bottle up certain moments to keep for later.  Wouldn't it be wonderful?

Dh re-enlisted yesterday

For another four years. I knew it was coming, so there is no sadness or being upset. I was fully prepared.

Besides... at the moment, I have this huge peace about it all. I've been asking God to change my heart regarding the whole military thing. I believe He's begun doing that. Some of it, too, is that He has blessed me with a wonderful home in a great little area, and that certainly helps the emotions, lol. But beyond that I feel a peace that THIS is where God wants me NOW.

I don't know how to put this into words... but I almost feel an impression on my heart each time I pray that God has some sort of ministry for me somehow in this. Oh, not officially, of course. I keep getting this (I hate to say "feeling"...) feeling that He wants me to be ready for something.

I think it was confirmed since we arrived here. My hubby came to me, saying he has a soldier whose wife is really really struggling and she needs someone. He asked me to call her and reach out to her. Well what do you know? Turns out... he just joined and she strongly didn't want him to (does that sound like me??), she is pregnant and she has 3 very small children (Uh, I think I've been there, lol), and is a sahm for the first time (well, I'm not new at that part). Poor woman; she got hit from all sides, didn't she? Now, I'm not super wise or anything, but I've got ears to listen and I can understand her feelings without condemning her, you know? So maybe God has this sort of thing in mind for me. To help other military wives who just really feel alone, like I did and sometimes still do?

Our men will be deploying in the future... we got a tentative date. Nothing too soon yet, but our turn is coming. Again, it's tentative, so it could be put back or it could be moved forward. Who knows? But we'll likely be needing to lean on each other when that time comes. What's even better... she's a Christian. Now is that a God-thing or what?

Military rules

There are a lot of "rules" if you are military. One being: Get it in writing. Close behind it is: Don't count on it until it happens.

That is our situation here. See if you can follow me here. Specifics are out, but I'll try to give clarity.

We received orders not long ago to go to Location A. We were told that we'd only be there a year, though, and then it'd be on to Location B. However, within days we were informed that after Location A, we'd actually be moving to Location C. And now... we were told today that Location A is being skipped altogether, and here are four choices: you can keep location C, or you can pick Locations D, E, or F.

Aha.

Now, to my hubby, Location D and E were not favorable. Both meant a one-year tour away from us, and seeing how we've been apart for 13 months (just about), he said no way. (That is another post, which I will be making as soon as I'm done with this one.) So it came down to Location C or F.

He chose Location C. Not that it matters to you, lol, as you have NO idea what I'm talking about... lol!

So now our moving dates are changing a bit. We are expecting to be here until early June. Just a two week delay in the plans, so not that big of a deal.

Then again, it could change again. Who knows? Afterall, Locations A, B, and C were in writing, so, honey, don't count on it until it happens.

Moving again - that's military life, y'know

We finally got dh's orders, so we know where we are going and for how long.

The good news: moving just 3 hours away! I'll still be near my family, so the kids will have a slow withdrawal from the grandparents.

The other news: we'll only be there a year. The entire unit will be relocating together to another military location. Military reorganizing and such. So then we'll move... again.

Like I mentioned, we'll still be decently close to family, so we won't have to go months and months without seeing my parents. By the time we move, we will have lived with my parents for 13 months. Sweetheart doesn't remember our old house, I'm sure, so to his little mind this is the only home he's known. What will he do without his "Papa?" He barely remembers Daddy. And I'm sure that if it weren't for Daddy's occasional visits, then he'd not remember Daddy at all. But I'm sure my parents will have the worst time: they've been with Shortcake from her birth, and they loved it. Mom already cries at the thought.

So I'm working on getting our stuff put back into storage so we will only have to take the moving truck to one location. This kind of moving will be a bit easier. By far, most of our things are still in boxes in the storage unit, so that is easier on me. I can handle this small amount of packing!

I am very eager to get into our own space again. I've been very blessed to have such a great situation with my parents. Truthfully, I anticipated difficulties, but things turned out rather nice. Not bad, especially considering my parents went from a household of 2 to 7.

I think my dad will really miss my cooking, though. LOL He and Mom work so many hours that Mom rarely cooks, so they will go back to sandwiches and snacking, mostly. Dad says he gained weight after I arrived, and since I won't be cooking for him anymore, he figures he'll lose that weight. Guess they'll have to come visit us now and again, eh?

I will be closer to my own grandparents, which is going to present some challenges. Pray for that, if you think of it. We ran into the issues a bit while living this close to them where we are now, so with being closer, I expect the situation to be more intense. Hopefully, though, that won't happen.

Psalm 1 - an oldie and a goodie

Psalm 1:4, 6

1 - "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 - But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 - And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 - The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

6 - For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."


You may remember me sharing that I was struggling with contentment and being angry over being in the military. And how I am not able to surrender this alone, that my help must come from God's word. I talked about the verse in Job about how he counted God's Word more important than his daily food. This is an extension of that, and I know it's no accident. (grin!) Like I said, God kept bringing me back to it and back to it.

Verse 1: I do pretty well at being careful who I seek counsel from... I search the Bible, ask older and wiser Christians whose walk I've watched for years, etc, and pray pray pray, etc. But the next part got me for the first time, really. "nor standeth in the way of sinners" - If I'm standing, I've quit moving. Growing spiritually doesn't happen by accident; it must be done on purpose. But notice... not standing in what I know to be right... standing in the way of sinners, standing in sin again, the way we sinners all do. I'd stopped doing what I knew to be right, and fell immediately back into my old familiar habits: thinking of self first and only. And once I stopped to stand... I wound up sitting in the seat of the scornful - I'd parked my tuckus to scorn. Scorn means means "open dislike and disrespect or derision often mixed with indignation" - eeek!! That was completely my attitude!! Open dislike and disrespect for my husband's decision to enlist and (oh my...) was there indignation. "How can he do this to me?" But God says I'm blessed if I *don't* do those things. I was missing out on His blessings because I'd let myself "stand" and "sit" spiritually.

Verse 2: There it is again - the reminder that to change my attitude, to truly surrender it and mean it, I've got to meditate on His Word constantly - "day and night!" And I must delight in His Word, in His rules, in His leadership. Delight means "a high degree of gratification" - wow. I must find a high degree of gratification. What is gratification? "reward, satisfaction or pleasure"

Verse 3: I love God's word pictures. A tree by the river is always hooked up to the source of water. The water makes the tree come to life, thrive. There is no chance for the leaf to wither because it is never without that refreshing water. My attitude can't wither or wander if I'm constantly hooked up to The Source by meditating on His Word day and night!! If I do start to wither, it's because I pulled away from Him.

Verse 4: Chaff - "the seed coverings and other debris separated from the seed in threshing grain, something comparatively worthless" It's dry and brittle, mere fragments that are dead and crumbling. And that is what God says the ungodly are like. They aren't hooked into the Source. And just like the chaff, I quickly become dry spiritually when I am not hooked into Him. What a neat comparison - be lush and fruitful with God, or dry and crumbling without Him. We are totally dependent on Him!

Verse 6: And here is my reminder: Lily... "for the Lord knoweth the way," girl. Notice the comparison... "but the way of the ungodly shall perish." It isn't those who trust in Him who perish. He knows the way, and it isn't the way to my destruction. He isn't going to send me out to my doom. He's got His own map, and it's a whole lot more detailed than mine! But why do I tend to tuck my map in my back pocket and at the first sign of something that isn't kosher with me, I whip it out to say, "Hey, uh... that's not on my map!" I need to burn that map in my back pocket. And perhaps rip out my pockets. LOL

Hello, again!

Ahhhh, dh's trip visit is over, and he is back to school. We are trying to get back into the old routine, trying to find our groove again.

Dh's visit was quite nice! It was quite busy, full of fun and giggles. He and I laughed so much this time. It's been awhile... so it was nice.

I must say, the end of this visit went much differently than we planned, though. The day after I turned 30, my back gave out on me. Well, kind of. I was having muscle spasms. Never had them before, and wow, can they put a person out of commission. I was standing up, handing the baby to my hubby, and as I turned to hand her off, I just felt this horrible pain in my back and I went down. Dropped the poor little gal, but since he was reaching for her anyway, he caught her easily. I tried to stand up, but nope. We finally managed to get me somewhat comfy on the couch, but I could nothing without help. Wound up in the ER the next day. Dh looked at me at one point and said, "I know you just turned 30, but you don't have to start falling apart already!" We had a good laugh over that one. Anyway, I'm on muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory meds, and pain meds. Under the usual orders on no lifting, etc.

Then dh came down with some nasty vomiting/diarrhea bug. I think it was the same sort of thing we all had around Thanksgiving, as none of us have come down with it. I suspect he picked it up at the hospital when he took me to the ER.

So we took turns at the end, tending to each other's needs. Now, isn't that nice? He was such a great help this time. He hates to change diapers and that sort of thing, but this time he just jumped right in and helped with no grimaces or groans.

Well, I need to take off and finish a few things around here, though I would love to sit and just type my fingers off! Happy 2007!