Sisterhood.
I got a phone call yesterday from one of my girl-friends from our last duty station. She called to let me know that they were surprised with quite a bit of snow. I was quietly jealous that she is walking through powder and wearing her winter coat. I am still wearing open toed sandals here.
She and I caught up with the happenings in our household...and as with all of our conversations (as with all of my conversations with anyone involved with the military), we talked about future duty stations. She and her husband are within that 6 month window before their move. I felt her excitement through the phone. :)
I told her how much I missed being where she was...the weather, the atmosphere. We as a family have made every required destination home, but there was something about upstate New York that is so calming and safe.
But I wonder if it was the location, or the people we were so intricately involved with that made the difference? Despite Greg being deployed, our apartment complex, comprised of 4 families with all of the males out to war, made for an instant family. Complete with laughter and mini-dramas, sit down dinners and loud opinionated discussions.
J (my girl-friend) is ready to leave to reach their new duty station. She was very clear to point out that things are not just the same in the apartment complex, and it hasn't been for greater than a year. She and I were the last of the four original (for lack of a better word) girls and once we both went our separate ways (her to Florida while here husband was redeployed, and we to our new home) there was no longer that closeness with the subsequent neighbors.
It made a little sad.
But it made me so glad.
There were so many things that were out of our hands. When we initially moved to upstate New York, and realized we had to stay in that small, run down, Army apartment complex I literally cried. I fought the idea of taking my children up and down stairs, and whined that 1040 sq. feet is just not enough, nor was it acceptable to me. I rolled my eyes at the cheap pilly carpet and the stained kitchen tiles.
But looking back, I realized that the road ended for us at that apartment because I was meant to have great friends there. That all four of us, so different in every.single.way. were destined to end up in the same run down corner building, with all of our husbands deployed, so that we could not just get to know ourselves, but to make ourselves stronger through each other's help.
I can't imagine that I would have gone through my lonely nights and quiet weekends unscathed without these surrogate sisters, aunts to my children. Now that we are all separated, away from each other, even if we don't keep in touch as often as we'd like, I would do anything for each one of them (are you reading this, A, K and J ?). Because just as our husbands created bonds with their fellow soldiers, we created our own with each other.
I love you girls. :heart:
She and I caught up with the happenings in our household...and as with all of our conversations (as with all of my conversations with anyone involved with the military), we talked about future duty stations. She and her husband are within that 6 month window before their move. I felt her excitement through the phone. :)
I told her how much I missed being where she was...the weather, the atmosphere. We as a family have made every required destination home, but there was something about upstate New York that is so calming and safe.
But I wonder if it was the location, or the people we were so intricately involved with that made the difference? Despite Greg being deployed, our apartment complex, comprised of 4 families with all of the males out to war, made for an instant family. Complete with laughter and mini-dramas, sit down dinners and loud opinionated discussions.
J (my girl-friend) is ready to leave to reach their new duty station. She was very clear to point out that things are not just the same in the apartment complex, and it hasn't been for greater than a year. She and I were the last of the four original (for lack of a better word) girls and once we both went our separate ways (her to Florida while here husband was redeployed, and we to our new home) there was no longer that closeness with the subsequent neighbors.
It made a little sad.
But it made me so glad.
There were so many things that were out of our hands. When we initially moved to upstate New York, and realized we had to stay in that small, run down, Army apartment complex I literally cried. I fought the idea of taking my children up and down stairs, and whined that 1040 sq. feet is just not enough, nor was it acceptable to me. I rolled my eyes at the cheap pilly carpet and the stained kitchen tiles.
But looking back, I realized that the road ended for us at that apartment because I was meant to have great friends there. That all four of us, so different in every.single.way. were destined to end up in the same run down corner building, with all of our husbands deployed, so that we could not just get to know ourselves, but to make ourselves stronger through each other's help.
I can't imagine that I would have gone through my lonely nights and quiet weekends unscathed without these surrogate sisters, aunts to my children. Now that we are all separated, away from each other, even if we don't keep in touch as often as we'd like, I would do anything for each one of them (are you reading this, A, K and J ?). Because just as our husbands created bonds with their fellow soldiers, we created our own with each other.
I love you girls. :heart:
Much love, Tif Johnson...written at 10:50 AM
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