Invest in the Name Brand Cereal

Correct me if I'm wrong, but no sane military spouse or for that matter, family member to someone who is in the military, likes it when their soldier is deployed.

Sure, you get more money.. and sure, the laundry basket is no longer full of socks that may or may not have matched when they were on his feet, and you get to eat cereal at all times of the day instead of planning real meals.. But really, you're not truly enjoying these things.

When my soldier was deployed, I was pregnant. And maybe that's why I dealt with his deployment as well as I did... Because there wasn't a choice to not handle it well. I had to get out, get fresh air, eat well, exercise, walk around craft stores every day to find things to make to send to him... 8D

I read a lot of blogs where the spouses who are left behind are saying it's hard to get out of bed, hard to clean their house, find the will to eat. I read a lot of widowed spouses that are finding joy in the little things even though they have every right to feel like they can't get out of bed. I read a lot of blogs where rumors fly around about cheating and other...extracurricular activities that aren't so kosher when you're spouse is deployed. A lot of it makes me think and makes me proud to be a milspouse, a lot of it makes me sick.

I am a better person, a better wife, a better mother because my husband was deployed. I learned how much tolerance I have, which is entirely different then patience. I learned how much love I have, how much trust and respect are needed to get through something. I learned how much disdain I have for people who try to blame everything on the fact that their spouse is not with them right at this second.

I learned about what is trivial in my life and what I cannot live without. I learned that it's worth every single picture taken in front of a mirror, every bad Skype connection, every line at the post office you stand in to show your love for your soldier.

I learned who my real friends were, I learned that people will always say, "Why didn't you wait until you knew he was going to be home before you got pregnant?" and "Why didn't you wait until you had orders?"

I learned how to shut my mouth and walk away.

I learned how to open my mouth and disarm a bitch with one sentence...which before the deployment it might've taken me 2.

Because of all I learned.. there's some things I'd like to tell other people, but haven't really found all the right words yet. Something along the lines of, "Buy a good webcam." or... "Invest in the name brand cereal. It's worth it while he's gone."