…and it’s going to feel so good!
Guess who gets home tonight after being gone for two weeks?
At 10:20 p.m., to be exact, not that I’m counting the minutes or anything.
Remember that “sometimes my teenaged son makes me cry” post?
And that forlorn “I’m lonely” bit on Facebook?
Now you know the truth of it.
My men were gone for two whole weeks at that great big Boy Scout ranch called Philmont.
(It’s in New Mexico.)
(Read: far away.)
That meant for two whole weeks I had to man the fort—or should I say, I had to “mom” it. I did have help—a lot of help—from a certain 12-year-old with the blog pseudonym of “Jem”, who with his dish-washing & babysitting & lawn mowing & maturity has more than graciously stepped up to the plate.
Now let me quick say something to all you Army wives: I know that this was nothing compared to what you go through. Nothing. There were times, yes, when I felt very alone and very lonely…but then I would remind myself (with a beer, perhaps, and maybe a movie) that feeling sorry for myself was…well…ridiculous. So what if I hadn’t heard from my husband and son for days? They’re in the mountains, for heaven’s sake!
And neither one had brought his laptop.
I can now say—with all the wisdom of having survived it—that this has been a time of growth for us—a time of realizing that, even though we may not exactly like the crosses that God gives us, we can carry them with His help.
The heavier the cross, the more overjoyed we are when they are lifted.
3 hours and 20 minutes to go!!!
But who’s counting?
Updated at 12:20 a.m. on Friday to Include:
Tell me, all you Boy Scout moms: Have you had a son and husband go away to Philmont? Weren’t you just…thrilled when they got home?
I felt that way last summer when my Scout worked at the Boy Scout Jamboree in Fort AP Hill Virgina for 2 weeks. This summer I am missing him again. He left for Basic Training on Tuesday, and will be gone till November. 🙁 At least he let me know when he got there. I got a call at 3am Wednesday morning. "Hi Mom, this is Dave, I have arrived at FLW, Missouri." Me: Love You Dave. Dave: Love you too. CLICK. I guess the Drill Sargeant was listening in. 🙂
PS. I hear Philmont is great!!!!
My Eagle Scout hub went with his old troop to Philmont during the summer we were engaged. I missed him SO much and he did the sweetest thing…he called me from the peak of one of the mountains (where he had one bar of reception)! We chatted for a whole 1 minute before it cut out. It was a long two weeks! I'm so glad your boys are home!
From this Army wife, it's all a matter of perspective. We are so used to our husbands being gone that sometimes when they're around for a bit too long, we ask if there's a trip in the future.
Big hugs! It's almost over. 🙂
Not Philmont, but Canada to a fly in fishing resort for a week, with no reception for even a phone call.
It was awful and yet so wonderful the day he came home…counting those minutes down. I thought the very same things you said, all about the Army wives and how God must give them the grace they need to get through it all.
It really gives us a new perspective on many things, especially how much we love and need our wonderful husbands, the head of our families.
God bless you Margarget, as you wait and count down those long minutes!!
Blessings on your reunion! My son has not gone to Philmont, but older guys from his Troop went last year. It's clearly an amazing experience they will always remember.
My dad went when he was a teen and it had quite an impact on his. When I was a kid and we drove cross-country, we had to stop at Philmont just to be on the grounds!
They will have hiked a LOT and seen amazing scenery and just had a incredible experience.
awwww…i love it that you swoon over him…i still swoon too. not all the time…but a lot…if we don't hear from you for a few days at least we'll know why…
xo.
Andrew's been in Germany this week. Yes, only one week, but still..
Germany
I was going to post about it, and include the same caveat about army wives.
🙂
I think some are stronger than others.
I am not among the strong.
9 hours until he lands here!
My husband leaves a few times a year for about a week at a time. Some domestic, some international. The hard part with international is that we don't get to talk. Cell service is just too expensive. So when ma man is overseas, the best I can hope for is a few texts. 🙁 I usually do fine, but the last trip to China was nerve wracking for me.
At least when he is traipsing around MN or CA we can talk at night.
My oldest son has been gone this summer as muchn as he has been home. We are a Civil Air Patrol family and Jack had three activities this summer. A week at flight academy, a week at encampment and now 10 days at Cadet Officer School. The last required him to fly by himself (ack) and even connect through Atlanta. We got an email and a Facebook status but other than that he's been quiet. Considering the kid has my laptop and free wireless I was hoping for more but he is super busy and with 100 other cadets (iow, teenagers). Who thinks of their mom? 🙁
Of course the biggest separation yet will happen August 26 when we take my oldest to University of Dallas to start her freshman year there.
I can NOT sleep when my hubby is gone. Thank God he's a teacher and doesn't have to travel. You're a supermom, Margaret 🙂
The hubs and our oldest is heading off to BS camp soon, too. I can't bear the thought of "momming" the place with the other four by myself, so I'm running home to mommy and daddy! I'm with you- I'm in awe of millitary wives!
Anne, you'll note that I did that, too!
I grew up with four brothers and a dad who went to Boy Scout camp every summer for a week, and every couple of years for a couple of weeks to Philmont. First year was the hardest, but my mom made it fun with 'lots of activities at home to make the time go by quickly. (It was just her and I, so we did mom/daughter things that I usually didn't get to do with her, since my four brothers usually kept her busy.) My husband and son went on their first week-long Boy Scout camp a couple of weeks ago, and although my daughter and I missed them, we also had a blast! It was girls' week so we ate salads for dinner all week (which she and I love; my husband and son not so much.) We went to see Judy Moody–a movie my son wouldn't be caught dead at, and we did alot of fun crafts. If you plan some things to make it like a staycation for yourself, the time will go very quickly!
My DH and 2 big boys (19 and 17) go either canoeing or backpacking each summer….
I miss them all terribly…
And when DH comes back with a beard I make him keep it until the last hour before he goes back to work (he has to be clean- shaven, law enforcement…
* swoon *
Carla
http://www.bringinghenryhome.blogspot.com
I have many more years before I face that perspective, but I was in their place – I did Philmont and LOVED it! I was 14, and grew up a lot more than I realized on that trek.
Congratulations to them – something for which you can be very proud of them 🙂 And Congrats to you for surviving!
Sean used to have to travel a lot when they big kids were littles and I would frequently run home to mom. Now that they are bigger, he doesn't have to travel anymore but I like to think if he did I could handle it. Of course, he just spent the last night at work because of an emergency and I slept a grand total of 3 hours. That is my biggest hurdle. I don't sleep well when he isn't here.
Fritz is planning on going to Philmont next year…I WISH my husband could go with him, but I doubt he'll be able to. (There is a slim possibility, so I'll pray.)
OK, here's the deal. #1 Army wives deal with what we have to deal with and you would to. Never say "I could never handle it." Things happen that you think you can't handle, but the alternative (mental and physical collapse) is simply not an option. #2 Separation, no matter how long, is difficult. If you think he'll be gone for 1 month, you do just fine until that last week, when it just seems so terrible that you'll barely make it, and then finally he's there. If you think he'll be gone for 2 weeks, and then suddenly it changes to 2 weeks and 1 more day, it is a tragedy beyond compare that requires vast consumption of chocolate and a day spent in PJs. #3 Absence does make the heart grow fonder, which is what enables us to tolerate mention of another trip/deployment, even though he just got back from another. #4 Running home to mommy/daddy is a perfectly legitimate way to deal with the situation.
Note to Joan Marie: the call was so short because he was standing in a long line of other boys calling home and that's all that was permitted. I hope he calls you again soon for longer!
Michelle, my husband offered to take your son to Philmont! 🙂
('Course, that'd mean he'd have to leave again…)