Monday, January 24, 2011

Waiting at home

Dear you, the reader and friend,

Sometimes it occurs to me that Mr H's ship date is fast, fast approaching!  The time seems to fly by.  There aren't enough hours in the day to spend together talking, planning, dreaming, working, washing dishes.






I will miss having my husband here to answer my myriad questions on everything from what kind of light-bulb to buy, to how to fashion a homemade weight for pressure canning?

...to find directions online for me whenever I am late or confused or lost.

...to chase me across the living room and onto the couch and make me laugh so hard the neighbor kid comes upstairs and asks us to be quiet because his mom is taking a nap!

...to find a new engine, replace the old one in my car, buy new windshield wipers, change the oil, replace the mysterious tubes and pipes, rotate the tires, and vacuum the seats to surprise me...

...to randomly take down the light fixtures and wash them before I even notice they are dirty, or pull apart the bathroom sink and clean out the pipes before I even realize it isn't draining properly!



I will miss having my man here to turn on the heater when I am coming home from a bustling day in town, to surprise me with a warm and cozy house when I know he thinks anything over 40 degrees is roasting.

...to come flying into the bedroom and leap onto the bed and scare the living daylights out of me, and wrap me up in the quilt and tickle me until I can't breathe from laughing so hard!

...to come inside from working on the truck to bring me a sprig of flowers from the tree, or pluck a blossom from the neighbor's bush and put it in my hair when we go for a walk ...

...to spend an entire weekend under my sister's car working on the brakes, or at my parents' home rewiring the house or replacing the plumbing without being asked.

...to pile muddy boots, running backpack, sweaty gym clothes, zune cords and headphones tangled in a mess, soaking wet baseball cap, and wadded smelly socks in the middle of the living room moments after I vacuum and put the pillows in order on the sofa.

...to do crazy, impulsive things with me, and find new adventure everywhere we go - like offroading the little Kia in Death Valley or driving it through a snow storm in the California mountains!




I will miss how Mr H will leave wet towels on the bed after a shower and get the quilt top damp, or on the other hand switch the loads from the washer to the dryer before I even know the cycle finished so that my clothes don't mold when I forget for the tenth time ...

I will be lost without my husband here to watch exceedingly boring movies about outer space and snipers and weaponry and zombies, and fall asleep on the couch twenty minutes in to the movie!

...to sing crazy songs in the car with me, and tell me that Smile is his song for me, and turn up the radio over and over on our four-thousand mile trip and look at me with love and say this one is about you.



I will miss having my husband here to lay in bed with me and talk with me until all hours, and every time we say, "We should really go to sleep now!" to keep finding conversation together.

...to remind me to calm down when I get stressed and anxious over little things like cleaning the house or finishing a kitchen project.

...to sit in the living room and field strip and reassemble handguns with my little sisters while they time each other and shout and laugh so loud the neighbors come down to see what the ruckus is about!

...to poke the eggs with needles before boiling them so they peel easier, and help me out with whatever I am working on in the kitchen.




...to invite friends over for dinner and brag about my cooking, and show them my kitchen projects while beaming with pride and making me glow inside.

...to show kindness to people that nobody shows kindness to, and help people that nobody wants to help, and do things for people who never could or would do anything for him in return ...

..to eat pint after pint of my dill pickles and homemade relish in a silent vote of approval, and to share our homemade cider with everyone from his Navy chief to the neighbors!


I will miss my beloved while he is away.

I will rest in the safety of my Lord, and trust in the promise of His Word.

Thinking about the future with curiosity but not fear,
and some sadness but much joy,

Mrs H
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Next:  Preparation for departure ... 




3 comments:

  1. Write as many letters as you can (or as many as you're allowed to)! And make them as long as possible! I always try to get my maximum money's worth out of every stamp! Haha. The beginning is the hardest because there's a period where you don't even know what address to write to until they get assigned to their various companies and whatnot. So for a while you just feel completely clueless and separated. But once you start getting letters it gets easier. Lucky-ish for me I was away at school, so I was already kind of used to the separation, but I won't try to sugar-coat anything. It's hard not having communication. But it makes every letter or call you get that much more special. Also you might want to search around and see if they create a facebook page for you to get in touch with other women who have men in training at the same place/time. There's one for Gabe's company and the drill sergeants post updates and even pictures sometimes. It helps all of us waiting at home to feel a little more in the loop. Hopefully they do something like that for the SEALS too! Let me know if you have any questions or anything and I will do my best to answer them although one thing you will learn soon is that a lot of times there is no specific answer for anything because it all depends on the specific commanders/drill sergeants/company Gary will be in... You will have to get used to just not knowing a lot of the time. Great practice for patience and trust in God...

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  2. I'm gonna miss Gary too! I'm so proud of him for what he's doing but I've gotten so used to having him around and it's so fun goofing off with you two that it will seem pretty boring when he leaves. I'll be praying for you as much as for him while he's gone.

    Make sure to invite me over if you ever need company (I won't wrap you in blankets and tickle you, but I can watch boring movies and give my silent [or loud] vote of approval for your food!!), or ever want to just tell someone how much you miss Gary.

    Dude! you and I should do a Bible study while he's gone. I would REALLY enjoy that! Please please please please it would be so fun, and I would really like to do a Bible study with you anyway. :) Love ya sis,

    -Jessie

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  3. Yes, let's do it! We'll plan it out now - buy a book we want to study together and all- but we won't begin until the week he leaves! That'll give us something to look forward to!!

    @Rebecca - good good advice! The only thing I'm adding to that is that since we're married I am having fun wading through paperwork ha ha ha

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