Seems like so long since I've updated my blog when actually it's only been a week. Boy oh boy was that a long week! Sure hoping the rest of the weeks we have left of this deployment don't go this slow.
In that week, I had to make a decision of whether or not to attend the memorial of the soldiers we lost. Up until the day before the memorial, I had planned to go and show my respects, but the closer it got I started questioning if it was the smartest thing to do, considering my husband is still there. I just didn't know if I could handle anymore reminders of the danger he is in everyday. If the families of the heroes had been here for me to give my condolences to, my decision would have been different but in the end I decided not to go. Honestly, I just didn't feel I was at a strong enough point where I could handle it emotionally. God knows my heart and he knows that I have said prayer after prayer for the soldiers and their families. I just long for the day when all of this ends and we can quit sending our husbands and sons to war.....then again, I wonder if there will ever be peace again....I think probably not, at least not in this lifetime.
On Friday evening after work, I had to make a trip to Ramstein, which is an airbase about 30-35 minutes away to take care of some things and with the time difference I figured I wouldn't be back in time to talk to Maurice so I wrote him a message about where I would be. I didn't get back until after midnight Afghanistan time, which is wayyyy past the time my husband goes to sleep. I was feeling really down because I knew I wouldn't be able to talk to him on Saturday either because of the trip, but to my surprise when I got home he was still up on facebook chat waiting on me so he could say goodnight. That may not seem like that big of a deal but to me it was! I know how hard he works and how much he needs his sleep to be prepared mentally and physically. He said he was so tired but that he read my message and that I sounded so sad about not getting to talk to him for 2 days straight that he had to stay up. No matter what, he always comes through and finds a way to make me smile when I need it the most. He knew he needed his sleep, but he also knew I needed to hear from him. I just love that man!!! In our situation, even more so than normal, it's the little things that count!
To top Friday night off, Devon made it home from youth camp safe and sound and on top of having a great time, he said he also learned a lot. I asked him what was the biggest thing he had learned & he said he learned that following God's path and living the way you should most often times leads you into a storm but that you have to remember to just keep doing what is right and pushing through the storm to get to the other side. At 32, that's still a lesson I need to be reminded of! Of course, he also had to tell me about all the cute girls he met while I'm thinking, "why can't he just stay a kid forever?????". I love my son so much and even though he's a typical teenager so there are some days I feel like I could just squeeze his head off, I am so proud of the young man he is becoming. He has such a good heart.
Saturday was a great day! Took the kids and went with some friends to Holiday Park, a theme park about 1-1/2 hours away. I didn't let Devon take a friend like he usually wants to do so that he was forced to spend the entire day with us....good decision!!! :) They had a good mix of rides so there was something for everybody. They had an awesome roller coaster called Expedition G Force and a free fall that even I was a little nervous about. It was good to have some fun with the kids and see everybody happy.
Woke up Sunday motivated to get some things done around the house. Things quickly took a bad turn though. I found out my nephew had a wreck and flipped his vehicle but thank goodness he was ok. That was a big enough scare. Then, I got awful news......our dog, Minnie, had gotten hit by a car and killed :( My heart was broken and even worse I had to break the news to the kids, as well as Maurice. Ansley cried all day and Devon who never takes naps just covered his head and went to sleep for the entire day. The kids loved her so much & she loved them. Before we moved, she would meet them every single day when they got off the school bus at the end of our road. She would listen for the bus and as soon as she heard it coming off she would run! Even after all this time, they said she would still perk up when she heard the bus and then look sad when it didn't stop....she was still waiting for them!
Minnie wasn't an ordinary dog.....she was special! She was our dog but she was loved by the entire family. My dad owns the lot next to our house and comes over at least a couple of times a day. Minnie would always go up there and stay with him when he came. At first, I think she aggravated him because he isn't what you would call a "dog person", but it didn't take long before Minnie had won him over too. She loved her Papa and he loved her too :) He had pictures and videos on his phone that he would show people of her and the funny things she would do. He would even buy her a biscuit most mornings when he got breakfast & carry it over to the building to eat with her. My nieces and nephews loved her as well. We couldn't bring her overseas with us because she's an outside dog so my sister who is renting our house kept her for us. It didn't take long before my sister started teasing me, saying possession was half the law and that we weren't getting her back when we came home. They had fell in love with her too! My niece loved playing outside with her, dancing and taking pictures of them together, while my nephew enjoyed spending time outside throwing the ball with her. It's hard to explain how special she was to anybody who hadn't seen her, but those that have understand. She was just the sort of dog you couldn't help but love.....she made a lot of people smile in her days and is gonna be missed! It just wont be the same going home and her not being there.
That same day I learned that a little girl in our community fell on concrete while playing outside and has a severe brain injury. I've known her family since I was young and we all attended the same church and I went to school with her parents. Her older sister is my daughter's age and they were in the same kindergarten class and played T-ball together. I can't imagine what her family is going through right now, and I am keeping them all in my prayers and I ask that you do the same. Children are such a blessing to us and it just makes me want to hold my babies and never let go. It is just another reminder of how precious life really is. Never take it for granted. With that said, I'm gonna try to focus on the good things of this past week instead of the bad....yes, this has been a longggg week with some sad news thrown in there, but there has also been a lot of good sprinkled in there as well, and it could always be much worse. I have so much to be thankful for.
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