Good News
Last week, Tracey attended a “wives’ meeting” on base where she learned that Joe’s deployment was being extended 45-52 days. Worst case scenario, it seemed, put him home end of May. Still unsure of what his leave situation would look like once he did arrive stateside, we still weren’t certain if he’d be able to attend my wedding. So we held full celebrations off for a bit.
This morning, I got a phone call from Tracey. She has just talked to Joe and he informed her that he would be coming home with the advance party. We’re still not totally sure what this means, but it’s looking like early May. Tracey’s gut instinct (an intuitive tool I’ve learned to trust wholeheartedly) assures her, and thus me, that Joe will be here for my wedding. And likely with enough time to figure out a way to bring Jack and Mackenzie, too!
This, of course, is amazingly great news. I’m a bundle of good feelings right now. But deep in the nether regions of my conscience is the knowledge that my good news is rare. For a few weeks, I got a bitter taste of what life as a military family is at its worst. But on the whole, we have been pretty lucky. Joe missed the birthdays of all of his family last year, as well as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and his anniversary. But he was at the birth of both of his kids. And now we are confident he’ll be at his sister’s wedding.
There are so many families who aren’t as lucky as we’ve been. There are guys in Joe’s battalion who will still miss important family events. And those are the ones fortunate enough to be coming home at all.
As I revel in this good news, those families and those guys are on my mind.