The United Through Reading Program

image via United Through Reading

One of the great programs we took advantage of during my husband's deployment was the United Through Reading program. The basics of this program are that on military installations around the world, service members can record a video of them reading a book and then send the video and the book to their children back home.

My husband recorded several of these during his first six months on deployment in Afghanistan (also known as "AFFFA-gan-I-STAN" by our little one. For some reason she said it with a drawl like a girl from the deep south which always cracked us up.) These DVDs were great to watch in the evenings before bedtime or on car trips.

Just being able to see Daddy/Husband was a godsend, hearing his voice was a delight. You could see the joy he felt in connecting with our daughter as he red to her. He took such care in the way he read and despite being exhausted was animated and warm. It was nice to have a little break from the being the only onsite parent for even a few minutes and let my husband, via DVD, from thousands of miles away spend time with her and have her undivided attention for a while.

I am so grateful to the organizers, sponsors and volunteers of these groups such as United Through Reading who give of their time and resources to bless military families separated by deployment. This is a program that helps families stay connected, helps deployed service members do something special for their kids which I think does a lot to cheer them up, and encourages reading. Three phenomenal benefits.

You can learn all about United Through Reading and find locations around the world where parents can record stories to send back home. Have any of you readers taken advantage of United Through Reading? How did it help your family?

Reading: Faith Deployed

image via Goodreads

During the first few weeks of deployment I held this book close as a source of inspiration to do a lot of hard things. I have turned to it many times during deployment for a voice to cheer me on, lift me up and carry me forward.

Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement For Military Wives by Jocelyn Green is probably my all time favorite "deployment" read. It is a collection of writings by a variety of military wife authors covering a wide range of topics dealing with deployment. Subjects include living in faith rather than fear, maintaining healthy relationships and avoiding improper ones, building a stronger relationship with Christ and developing Christlike qualities.

I read it through all the way at first and since then often just turned to the table of contents to chose a topic that seems appropriate for the given day. I have been holding it particularly close the past few weeks and even reading it to my husband at night or in the early mornings in bed as a source of mutual inspiration.

Each chapter begins with personal experiences and scriptures regarding the day's topic. Then there are questions to ask oneself and then a prayer at the end of each section. It's a lovely process to go through: the teaching, the self evaluation and the asking for help from God. Beautiful! 

One of the greatest comforts I have gained during our military life is to see that my life in some ways is very similar to other military wives. That has helped me overcome obstacles of frustration and fear. When many others have experienced just what you are experiencing, it makes it all more doable, bearable and less terrible. Sometimes it allows you just to share a mutual laugh rather than let things get to you too much. I appreciate so much the experiences shared by these spiritually minded military spouses.

I was talking about something I read in this book to a friend, who has no associations with the military and she said she wanted to read it because I continue to share with her great inspiration from my reading. It is definitely a book that can inspire anyone and reach anyone in whatever life they lead. I'm going to get it for my friend. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking spiritual strength during deployment or in any phase of life.

Jocelyn Green is also a fiction writer and maintains a blog called Faith Deployed. It is a great place to go for more daily inspiration and encouragement. There is also follow up to this book titled Faith Deployed Again: More Daily Encouragement For Military Wives. Here's something very exciting. Jocelyn is co-authoring with Dr. Gary Chapman 5 Love Languages Military Edition: The Secret To Love That Lasts. It will be out September 1, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon. This is a little bit exciting for 5 Love Languages fans!

Are you a fan of 5 Love Languages? Do you have a favorite deployment read to share? I'd love to hear your experiences with military themed readings. Have a great day. Thanks so much for coming by.

Book: Countdown 'Til Daddy Comes Home

image via Kristin Ayyar

Author Kristin Ayyar was kind enough to send over a copy of her children's book Countdown 'Til Daddy Comes Home to us this past week. It was fun to let Clementine open up the envelope and then nestle down in the couch to read it with her. It's dedicated to all the children of the U.S. Military. I loved that.

We don't have any military friends who live around us, so Clementine really doesn't have any military kids to share her military life with. Having videos and books made just for military kids really has helped us help her this year. I can't tell you how grateful I have been for anyone who has produced a video for military kids or written a book that speaks to her life. I know she feels a real connection to the kids she sees in these books and videos, especially the in-person interviews on some of the videos.

We could relate to the main character in Countdown 'Til Daddy Comes Home wanting to throw everything out of his daddy's suitcase and climb in himself. We remember our super sad goodbye day just like Kristin wrote about it. Clementine fell asleep in her dad's arms while they said goodbye. I think the emotions just overwhelmed her.

Just like the family in this sweet book we've counted down too. We've lost lots of teeth here and spent more time with extended family. Instead of a Daddy Bear we have a Daddy Doll, but we totally understand the importance of a Daddy to hug in bed at night. We've sent care packages too. Right now, just as Kristin wrote about it, we are cleaning the house, getting Daddy's favorite foods and decorating for Daddy to come home. We talked about a Daddy Daughter date and what she would like to do. This is definitely a story we felt a connection to. 

This is also a great book for Clementine to practice her reading every day. I also liked the Discussion Questions in the back that can help parents get their kids talking about how they feel. There are questions that cover all phases of deployment and can help you know how your little ones are doing. In the back there are also ideas for your own countdown and a link to the Daddy Countdown website that has even more treats and ideas for military parents. You can get to know author  Kristin Ayyar here.

This book will take a very special place in our little library of military kid treasures. You never know, maybe one day we'll have a third generation of military kids who will enjoy this book.