Thanking a Veteran should be an everyday holiday in my book. The sacrifices those men and women make for their countries and their families is not one that can simply be recognized in just one day. It’s ongoing and so important.
For our family especially there are lots of Veteran’s. My father-in-law, my grandfather, my brother and stepbrother, my sister in law and most importantly, my husband. I’ve said it before, but he’ll never quite know just how much I admire him. His drive to keep going and work tirelessly to provide a very comfortable life for his family is something that I will be forever grateful for. Not only is he an amazing dad and husband, his commitment to the Air Force and our country is admirable. His passion for serving his country and the goals he has set for himself is something I will always respect and always brag on him about. I’m so proud of everything he has achieved, and most recently his promotion to Master Sergeant.
Quick story….it was just about 2 1/2 years ago when the above photo was taken. Aaron left us for a 90 day deployment about 30 minutes after this picture was taken. Josie was 3 years old, and I was about 13 weeks pregnant with Isla. It was the hardest thing ever to say goodbye to him and I literally cried my eyes out the entire way home. It wasn’t the first time he’d left us for work or military obligations, but this time was so much harder. The next few months were some of the longest and loneliest of my life. It’s crazy how you kind of expect people to step up when you are dealing with something like that, but no one really did. And I never asked for help. I like to think it would have made it a little easier to have extra support, but it honestly probably wouldn’t have mattered. It was just a rough few months…and hello, pregnancy hormones! Fortunately we were able to talk to him frequently, and especially for Josie, that was so important. She missed her daddy some kind of bad. We both did. His homecoming from that trip was probably one of the best days of my life. And I will never forget this brief season of our life.
All that to say, yes that was a hard time for “me”. But it was nothing….nothing compared to what my husband was going through. Or what the thousands of other servicemen and women go through every single day. And those mama’s who are raising kids alone while their husbands are on 6, 9, 12+ month deployments–you are my heroes. Being a military spouse can be so rewarding, yet emotionally straining and just freaking hard. But loving and honoring our vets and reminding them how important and respected and invaluable they really are is just one way we can say thank you for all that they do.
So to my Veteran, I respect and appreciate you so much. I hope you enjoyed your day off–full of football, some cold brews, your favorite wings, and some much deserved relaxation. The girls and I love you so!
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