The one with the deployment

Someone once told me that it doesn't matter who you love, it's how hard you love that counts. Today I am loving a hero. My hero. I am loving him with every stuttered breath and unshed tear. I get asked all the time how I do it. How do I watch him walk away and hold everything in my world together until he comes back. I must be a saint. I'm not. Today my husband deploys for the sixth time. I hugged him, kissed him and stood at the van as he unloaded his gear singing Frozen songs with my child. I smiled and waved as he walked away but inside my heart was breaking. I wasn't scared of him being gone or wondering how I was going to make it. I was proud. Proud of the man he is and the sacrifice he makes. You see, my husband is a soldier in the United States Army. He fights for people who can't fight for themselves. So what do I say when people ask how I do it? What would I tell that young spouse that doesn't think they are strong enough? Stay busy. Find a hobby. Go back to school. Read a book. Or two. Watch a movie. Explore the area around you. Visit family. Make new friends. Laugh often. But don't stop. Because if you do... 

No matter how many times I've done this and no matter how strong I seem, it never gets any easier. We get through it because it's what we do. It's what I do. Would I change it if I could? Never in a million years. What's it worth? Our children smile and say my daddy is a hero. And he is. I love him and will miss him everyday until he comes home. We never say goodbye. We say see ya soon. 

 The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but

 because he loves what is behind him.

-G.K. Chesterton