Sacrifice

Sigh...


My family has officially departed the San Diego area. It was oh-so-wonderful having them here.


Every time my mom comes to visit, she helps to make my house feel more like a home. On her first visit she helped me pick out and put up curtains in my living room and kitchen. On another visit she helped me pick out wall color and wall decor for my living room. She has also helped me decorate my guest bedroom, cleaned my garage twice, helped me clean out our guest bedroom closet, strategically placed military trinkets over my kitchen cupboards, and too many other things to even mention. This trip she helped me pick out new accent pillows for my couch and helped me decorate for Christmas.


I would be amiss, though, if I were to leave out my dad's part in turning my house into a home. He was the one who actually painted my living room wall and spent endless hours in my dusty desert yard attempting to turn it into less of an eyesore.

But, this visit, I got the impression that my house feeling more like a home might not just have to do with accent pillows on the couch and the newly painted walls.


There's just something about the company of family and close friends that brings a different feeling to my house. Having them here makes it feel like home.


One evening a few days ago, my parents, brother, and husband were scattered about the living room/kitchen area doing this or that. And, I started thinking about how nice it was to have all of them there. We weren't doing anything special; we were just there, together. Then, I started thinking about what it would feel like to have that more often - say - if I were to live just down the street from my family or just over in the next town. Somewhere close enough where it wouldn't be such a big, out of the ordinary deal for my parents and brother to be spending an evening at my house.


Don't get me wrong. I mean, I am happy with what I have and where I am.


It's just that every now and then, I spend a few moments thinking about what I have given up in order to lead this military life. It's difficult for me to miss out on family get-togethers, my nephew's every day growing up moments, my sister's pregnancy (and soon to be delivery of her 2nd child). It's tough when sickness/heartbreak/tough times strike the members of my family, and I'm not able to be there with them.


I am just thankful that the technology of today makes the world seem much smaller than it actually is.


Being a military wife is a sacrifice.


However,
It is also a grand adventure... one that has taken me places I never could have dreamed of. With that knowledge, I am content.