Blessings in Disguise (like, seriously, undercover or something)

When Mike was deployed the first time and his career as a pilot was crashing and burning, I literally believed that the world was crashing and burning along with it. I cannot fully explain to you the magnitude of devastation it inflicted upon our lives.

Now, two years later, as I look back, I am 100% aware that things absolutely happened the way that they were meant to.

I mean, Mike got out of the squadron that was kicking his self-esteem in the ass every day and into units that respect and value him as a Marine. He has had one extremely successful deployment since then, which ended in that bronze star I blogged about a few days ago. He is just totally, completely, and unequivocally a happier, more successful person now. And, it's all thanks to the fact that life as we knew it took a rocketship into oblivion during that first deployment.

Last weekend we attended a Hail and Farewell for his new unit. (The title is pretty self-explanatory, but it's a party where you Welcome the new people and say Goodbye to those who are leaving. It's a pretty regular occurance since in the military world there is a constant flow of people in and out of units.) It was the first non-squandron (squadron=pilots) Hail and Farewell I had ever attended, and it was hands down the most enjoyable, relaxed, unpretentious hail and farewell I've ever had the pleasure of attending. If I hadn't realized before that we are where we're supposed to be, I certainly realized it then.

And if I still didn't know it then, I definitely realized it yesterday when Mike informed me that two of our good pilot friends (the only two pilot friends who we held on to when we took an ax and completely cut ties with the entire pilot world) had just received the devastating news that they were being reassigned to a FAC tour. I have no idea what F-A-C stands for, but I do know what it means. It means 2 years of commuting to 29 Palms (see: 6 hours away!) from San Diego to train for a non-pilot related, ground deployment and then the deployment to follow.

Doesn't sound like anyone's dream come true, does it? Yeah, and these are the guys who actually stayed in the squadron. These are pilots, reassigned temporarily for the world's worst tour, completely against their own wishes.

I feel really bad about it now, but I'm not going to lie. *After I found out this wretched news, I actually did a little victory dance in my mind (I know I'm an awful person and an even worse friend. Please don't hate me for it. I feel really bad about it now, I swear I do). I know that we have been the object of our friends' pity for the past 2 years now. I realize it took those 2 years and a couple of wretched FAC tours, but I think we can all agree now that Mike and I got the better end of this stick.

Part of me wants to go back in time to two years ago when I was literally walking around in a stupor, mourning the loss of life as we knew it as though I had just buried one of my dearest friends, and slap myself out of it.

If only I had known then what I know now, I would have never wasted my time with worry, anger, or sadness. I would simply have said, "Things are happening how they are meant to happen." And I would have trusted that. And believed it. Because, it's so cliche, but so true.... what happened to us two years ago was without a doubt one of those blessings in disguise that you always hear people talking about.

And thank God for that. Seriously. Thank God!

*note: this is precisely why I have not told my friends about my blog. telling them about my blog could only end in 1 of 2 ways. 1) I would have to censor myself which would totally suck or 2) My friends would absolutely hate me forever because I failed to censor myself. neither option is the least bit appealing.