I was thinking about my need for distractions this year and realized that I have succeeded in this pursuit for both January & February! Here is what I spent part of January doing:
[The back story] Nick deployed for Iraq in early December. Before he left, he mailed letters to all of the parents/wives of the soldiers he is in charge of describing their upcoming deployment assignment, reassurance that each soldier was well-trained and ready, and a personal note for what he thought of each man. He mentioned in his letter that we, his parents, had been through this before (with Jeremiah's 2 tours in Iraq) and that we would be adopting his platoon during this tour. He listed our names and email address, with instructions to contact us if anyone had any questions. A few emails trickled into our mailbox in December, asking what they could do to help and how to send care packages to Iraq. I began composing group emails (and sending them to the growing list of parents, extended family members, wives, fiances, girlfriends of these soldiers) and delivering information. I provided tips on what to send/not to send in care packages; I shared tidbits from Nick's phone calls; I offered a listening ear to anyone who had not been through this before. The family support grew!
[My distraction] So I decided to research and develop a blog so I could connect all of these people. I did not want it to be all about me. Instead I wanted to start discussions, be able to share posted photos, and create a "place" to talk about things. I chose to create a webpage using myfamily.com and made it open, by invitation only, for each person in my Alpha Company family support group to join. The website is perfect! It has features that fit my original needs perfectly and is very interactive, with a sense of privacy to what we are sharing. Right now it has 34 members, with a dozen or so pending invitations, and people are checking it daily. It makes me feel so good knowing that I can help each of these family members cope with a long (12 month) deployment. I remember during J's tours feeling like we lived each day on pins & needles. Bill and I would get edgy, irritated, anxious if there was a long time between phone calls. We worried about J constantly and I think we silently held our breath until the moment he returned to American soil, safe at last. We didn't have any friends or family with kids in the military, so we felt like we were all alone during each deployment. Though having Nick deployed overseas is just as hard to deal with, it is slightly lessened with the contact we have with the others. Bill says I am the perfect "Mama Bear" for this group-- always looking out for the others and trying to make their situations better. Maybe that is what makes me smile... and keeps me distracted. :)
[The back story] Nick deployed for Iraq in early December. Before he left, he mailed letters to all of the parents/wives of the soldiers he is in charge of describing their upcoming deployment assignment, reassurance that each soldier was well-trained and ready, and a personal note for what he thought of each man. He mentioned in his letter that we, his parents, had been through this before (with Jeremiah's 2 tours in Iraq) and that we would be adopting his platoon during this tour. He listed our names and email address, with instructions to contact us if anyone had any questions. A few emails trickled into our mailbox in December, asking what they could do to help and how to send care packages to Iraq. I began composing group emails (and sending them to the growing list of parents, extended family members, wives, fiances, girlfriends of these soldiers) and delivering information. I provided tips on what to send/not to send in care packages; I shared tidbits from Nick's phone calls; I offered a listening ear to anyone who had not been through this before. The family support grew!
[My distraction] So I decided to research and develop a blog so I could connect all of these people. I did not want it to be all about me. Instead I wanted to start discussions, be able to share posted photos, and create a "place" to talk about things. I chose to create a webpage using myfamily.com and made it open, by invitation only, for each person in my Alpha Company family support group to join. The website is perfect! It has features that fit my original needs perfectly and is very interactive, with a sense of privacy to what we are sharing. Right now it has 34 members, with a dozen or so pending invitations, and people are checking it daily. It makes me feel so good knowing that I can help each of these family members cope with a long (12 month) deployment. I remember during J's tours feeling like we lived each day on pins & needles. Bill and I would get edgy, irritated, anxious if there was a long time between phone calls. We worried about J constantly and I think we silently held our breath until the moment he returned to American soil, safe at last. We didn't have any friends or family with kids in the military, so we felt like we were all alone during each deployment. Though having Nick deployed overseas is just as hard to deal with, it is slightly lessened with the contact we have with the others. Bill says I am the perfect "Mama Bear" for this group-- always looking out for the others and trying to make their situations better. Maybe that is what makes me smile... and keeps me distracted. :)
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