I can officially say that I survived my third weekend completely solo with three children, and you know what? It wasn’t half bad. Sure, I was losing my mind each evening by bedtime, but there’s something awesome about how we’re making it through this deployment day by day. It reminded me why so many Army and military families choose wings over roots. Sure, it’s in our service member’s job description, but it goes beyond that. I’ve never really known where I really called home.
These days, as I watch our children grow and thrive here at their second duty station, I’m reminded that as hard as this is, they’re growing stronger and braver than so many of their civilian counterparts. This weekend, we went to church, and for the second hour, I took both Spencer and Porter each to their own Sunday school class. Yes, it was scary for them going somewhere new with people they didn’t know, but their tears were fleeting, and they did well.
I have a tendency to want to protect them and shelter them, rather than let them flex their resilience and strength. When we do challenge them to stretch their wings, however, they thrive. Wings over roots. It’s such a funny concept that we have to choose one or the other, but I’m trying to make this house a home and show them that we can have the best of both worlds. While our roots might not run as deep as others at each duty station, we do bloom where we’re planted, and for that I’m so grateful.
This duty station has been hard for us. With Ryan’s constant TDYs and a deployment shortly thereafter, we’ve barely seen him. In all honesty, as I know I said before, Washington wasn’t what I wanted at all, and while it’s nice here, it’s definitely not where we want to stay. But that’s the beauty of this life. We have wings, too. This isn’t forever, and our next duty station might be more our cup of tea. Who knows what the future holds.
Regardless, this weekend was a proverbial breath of fresh air. For one, it was further proof that my children are so resilient. On a more personal note, it was proof for me that I can and will transcend every challenge we face, whether together or separate, and for that I am grateful.
