I didn't want to do a post on resolutions. It seemed a bit hypocritical since I haven't made any resolutions in years. Mainly, because they tend to be a laundry list of wishful thinking rather than any real goals that I'll actually work toward. So, I thought, instead, I would write about what 2007 brought me. In some ways, I'd really like to just write off the year. Stretch was gone for the vast majority of the year, making it the year of putting my head down and putting one foot in front of the other, just trying to make it through moment by moment, day by day, week by week. I'm finally at the point of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and, no, it's not an on-coming train. The deployment is almost over!
But I digress. What did 2007 bring me? Mainly, it renewed my appreciation for my husband. I knew I loved him before, but maybe I didn't realize just how much. I missed Stretch with an intensity that almost surprised me. After 10 years together, I just assumed that I would miss him but that I would get on with the business of daily life. And I did. I didn't need Stretch to take out the trash or help get the girls in bed. I'm not gonna lie, another adult to share the load would have been beyond nice. It's just that those things weren't impossible or overwhelming to me.
Stretch's absence was the difficult thing. I never did get into a good sleep pattern. And he was always, ALWAYS, in my thoughts. Sometimes, he'd be in the background and not in the forefront of my mind but his presence was always there. So many times, each and every day, I found myself wanting to share something with him or thinking how much he'd enjoy something.
I checked my email so many times each day in case he'd found time to send me a line or two. And I found myself emailing him the dumbest stories just to be in contact with him. In an odd way, despite the miles and the ocean between us, the year brought us closer. He appreciates what I do for him and for our family. He knows how hard it can be. I'm so proud of him and what he does. After 10 years together, I can say, after the roughest year of all, that I am even more in love with him than ever.
"Marriage is that relation between man and woman in which the independence is equal, the dependence mutual, and the obligation reciprocal." ~Louis K. Anspacher
6 comments:
What a great post! And such a positive outlook to a crummy situation. I think its great to see this deployment as a way of bringing you closer and deepening your relationship.
Because we are not physically around each other for so much of the time we rely on so much on communication and we are able to see how much the other really brings to our relationship and each other. I have always put that in the "thanks to the marine corps" category.
I hope the rest of your time apart flys by! and may 2008 bring you and your family health and happiness! And togetherness!!
You say this so well! You've put to words exactly how I feel too.
I knew I could do the day-to-day things, it was everything else that made me miss Stuntman so.
Just 5 more months for me to go.. definitely seeing a light here, dim, but I see it :)
Happy 2008!
I wrote Jack Bauer a card today and I mentioned the exact same thing about despite the miles, I feel we are much closer. It really is a nice feeling.
Heartwarming. I am so happy you found each other.
Great quote at the end too.
Thank you so much for such a wonderful post! I hope the next year will be your best yet... just to balance the scales... :o)
This is a beautiful post.
Sorry I've been behind. I had your December posts bookmarked instead of your blog, so it just kept coming up to December. I'm so not blog-savvy.
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