What The End Of Deployment Feels Like Part Two

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This is the second part in a series on What The End Of Deployment Feels Like. You can read Part One here. This of course is all from my perspective and other people might feel very differently. But if there is one thing that I have learned from great friendships and especially from other military spouses it's that we often do experience very similar emotions and situations in life. So it's great to share so we can gain from each other. Please always feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below. You never know who might read your words on just the day they needed to be inspired.

I shared the surprising not so positive feelings I've been having here at the end of deployment yesterday. Now today let's talk about the good stuff -- The blessings I feel at the end of deployment.

1) He's coming home. He's physically in one piece. There are so many people who couldn't say this at the end of deployment. If I am grateful for nothing else it has to be this!

2) We did it! We did! We did it! Hooray. Our goal was not to SURVIVE deployment but to THRIVE through deployment. I think we've accomplished that goal. It hasn't been easy, it hasn't been problem free but we have done even better than I hoped in getting through this year. We are more appreciative of each other, don't take each other for granted and our little one has been amazing through this. We have each grown and become better people. I love that. We did it and better than I hoped. 

3) We've been so blessed. I had no idea how many ways we'd be blessed during this year. There are so many wonderful people in organizations who have done the kindest things for our deployed family. Our church has gone to amazing lengths to support us and make sure I knew I had back up any time I needed it, 24/7. Our friends and family have been so good to us. Every one of these people has earned angel status in my book.

4) I have new, deeper perspectives on life. We have done something hard and it has taught me a lot of life lessons. Chief among those have been to appreciate life, time with loved ones and the blessings they bring to our lives. I've also learned to "let go and let God" in so many ways when I've had so little control of the safety  and well-being of my husband. I've also learned to take better care of myself, be even better about how I use my time and energies and to enjoy the happiness that exists in every day. Great blessings!

5) I've learned that nothing is ever as impossibly hard as we imagine it is. We just have to wake up every day and do our best that day. Honestly, deployment has been hard, I don't wish it on anybody. But it has not been anywhere near as hard as I imagined it to be. We have done really well and the time went by so much faster than I expected. It's good to remember that our imagination and fears are often our worst enemies. They often make things much scarier and intimidating than they will be in real life. We humans are capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for. Many thousands of people have survived deployment before and will yet survive. We're in good company!

Those are just a few things I'm celebrating here at the end of deployment. There are so many more things to celebrate and I can't wait to do that when we get him home. Favorite restaurants, hugs and kisses and so much more (hello homecoming honeymoon!), days at the beach, sharing stories and talking together, cooking for him, laughing together, being able to share a knowing glance from across the room. It's going to be awesome. Can't wait!