A Deeper Appreciation

One very positive thing about living by Fort Drum, NY is how it has
given me a deeper appreciation for our military and their families.
Prior to moving here, my knowledge of all the sacrifices our military
and their families make was very little.  I have an older cousin who
serves in the military.  He now serves as a drill sergeant for the Air
Force in Texas, but for many years he served in multiple deployments.
Still, I never quite understood all that he and his family sacrificed
during those years until now.  It is incredible!

I'd say over half of the moms in my MOPS groups are military wives and
most of them have deployed husbands right now.  It wasn't until joining
this group that I saw just how difficult and challenging it is for these
families.  My heart breaks with theirs when I see the pain in their eyes
because they had to say goodbye to their husband that week, and they
have 2 or 3 children at home to take care of all on their own for the
next year until their husband returns.  I cannot imagine the stress
these families endure.  The spouses, the children, the parents and
siblings of the deployed, and the soldiers themselves of course, all pay
a huge price.  And that sacrifice is for you and for me!  No matter what
your political views are, it doesn't matter!  These wonderful and brave
Americans are not just putting their lives on the line for their
country, but they and their families are doing so for us and our pursuit
to live the American dream.  Without them this wouldn't be possible.

Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with my own circumstances of not having
any family around and being so far away from all of them.  I'm still
adjusting to a new town, trying to build new relationships -- plus the
everyday stressers of being a SAHM can keep my focus on myself and my
problems.  But when I think about the many military families who also
share these same circumstances, PLUS they have a husband who is deployed
for long stretches of time on top of everything else, I immediately
count my blessings and stop my complaining! 

Before moving here, it was my ignorance that kept me from appreciating
and understanding all that our military does.  Now that I know this, I
must do better.  I must reach out and lend a helping hand.  It's no
longer good enough for me to simply pray for them and their families.
Even though my resources are limited, I feel compelled to help in any
way I can.  To let these families know that they are not alone and that
they are appreciated.  It will be easy for me to get involved since I
know military families, but if you don't know how to get involved and
help these wonderful families then visit this website for more info:

  http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces/