52 Kisses

Tomorrow Bernard leaves for 52 days of training (Stateside, PTL!). For the first time ever in our relationship (dating and marriage) Bernard and I have had the luxury of spending over an entire year together (almost 17 months!). Before this, the longest amount of time was 8 months. I feel a little silly that sadness is still creeping in as we prepare for what is really a short TDY. 52 days will go by so quickly and I am blessed by family and friends who will visit and help pass the time. I have a few projects to work on here at home and I have a nice little group of neighbors and Christian, mommy girlfriends here to help support me if I start to struggle at all.

Preparing for this made me realize just how far Bernard and I have come in our "Army Journey." I was able to turn to so many girl friends across the country for help and suggestions as to how to cope with the initial departure. One of the best ideas we got was a jar filled with the same number of kisses as the days Daddy will be gone. Every night, Gabbi will get one kiss from Daddy before bedtime. We also learned from our last (MONSTER) deployment how helpful a video is for the kids. So, we'll make a recording of Daddy reading a favorite book, of Daddy saying bedtime prayers and maybe one more special video that we can watch at nighttime or whenever we're having a tough day.

I remember in NC when we were preparing for B's 15 month deployment. One of my dear friends- who also had a young baby- came over and spent the afternoon with me just wrapping dishes and taping boxes. That simple action meant so much to me and it made me feel like I wasn't in this alone. We are blessed to have friends in so many states that we can visit whenever and who call when they come to FL. But even more than that, and even if our paths don't cross again, we are blessed with friends who understand. Friends who know what to say. Friends who just listen when I need a shoulder to cry on. Friends who tell me to buck up when I'm throwing a pity party. Friends who have said the goodbyes, dealt with the unreliability of the military, the tears of the kids and the tantrums that will follow. Friends that know sometimes it's just time for them to leave and that sometimes the welcome back is just as hard as the seeing off. We are blessed to have struggled in our marriage because it has made us so much stronger, it has forced us to turn to the Lord and it has taught us what we can fight through.

Military life isn't easy, and no one said it was. But in the grand scheme of things, I am so thankful for this 52 days. Thankful that he'll be safe. That I will have a number to call and reach him at or just leave him a message. Thankful for the words of advice and encouragement, for the visits and the calls, and thankful that after a jar full of kisses, Daddy will be home again.