Return

When your man comes back from deployment, he is the superstar of the house. His bag, his boots, his extra laundry, his man-sized appetite, and whatever time he has at home are all celebrated, not sighed over. :) After family leave time passes and his work hours build even more, it is easy to neglect the greatness of being back together. We still love our weekends together, but the short hours at the end of a workday can be tense rather than thankful. Some days I neglect the greatness of his being home because he gets home late.

In Hoping for Something Better, Nancy Guthrie convicted me to think about a more serious issue of neglect. "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (2:3) We are saved from sin, death and separation from God. How can we neglect the greatness of God bringing us home? We grow tense over what we think we should be doing for Him or what we think He should be doing for us.

Ezra found the Book of the Law, and God's people had their own emotional homecoming with God's Word. Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites told them to stop weeping! "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh. 8:10)." And they had a feast and celebration with great joy.

So, today, I feel the need for weeping over my neglect and celebrating God's gift of Himself. Rejoicing in our salvation strengthens us for every other area of life. We will still fall into neglect, but we taste God's Word to hunger for that day when

"the ransomed of the Lord shall return and... everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Is. 51:11

We are having a Lucky Charms feast this morning and using each of the seven charms to remember the great salvation God offered to Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua and David! We plan to welcome Daddy home with renewed joy (no matter what time he returns). How else can we celebrate our great salvation today?

Mission Complete

(January) How did we survive our 205 day deployment? 

Some days we floundered, fighting back fears and tears. But, oh the sweetness of God's gracious provision ruled! The influence of Christ in our squadron purified so much of the potential for pain. God kept Boyce's eyes from evil and my tongue (some days more than others) from speaking harm. The children and I have great joy in reuniting with our leader. Lucy flirted and giggled at Boyce across the dinner table after Wade proclaimed his love repeatedly and Elec declared, "Taking Daddy home with us is the best thing ever!"

Looking ahead, we do not know what lies before us. But, we have a greater understanding of the joy that will be ours when the fullness of time has come and we hear:

“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children." Revelation 21:6-7

Hallelujah. Our God reigns.

M&Ms

150 days to go in the deployment means 150 M&Ms to eat!

We call these the boys' morning "vitamin M". :) I have my own jar and allow myself 4 "vitamins" every afternoon so I have strength for all of us. Mmmm.

M&Ms give a little boost, but I'm thankful for God's M&Ms: 

"the tender Mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness... to guide our feet into the path of peace." Luke 1:78-79 

"by the greatness of His Might, and because He is strong in power, not one [star] is missing." Isaiah 40:26

We rejoice that 150 days are but a drop in a bucket to the God of all mercy and might!

When it is good to have children

(written in Aug.) Coming home is always good, but coming home from vacation without Daddy is a bit hard. After getting cleaned up, the "what now?" feeling started to hit. I climbed into the attic to bring down the pirate surprise I had been hiding. What an amazing hand-me-down toy set!

I decided the pick-me-up I needed would be our neighborhood pizza... delivered! It was fun to watch the boys eat the huge pieces that I gave them. I told Wade, "Wow. You inhaled that like Daddy does. (sigh) I miss him." I braced for his sad response.  


"Mama, why does the pirate ship sail have holes in it?" 
"You are right Wade. Sitting around missing does not do us any good. I need to remember there are toys to play with and stories to read!" 


Thank you, Lord, for our children.

Stress Relievers

(Written in July) The start of a first deployment with children = stress. I try to get control of schedules and house as a way of coping. Here are some other things I have identified as stress relievers for us:
1. God's Word:  morning (a verse to reflect upon) and evening (The Jesus Storybook Bible)
2. Prayer with a hug:  I have been picking up a certain little boy and praying for both of us when we get tense and frustrated.
3. Laughter:  Lucy's spit up can be a stressor- and a little disgusting- as it goes everywhere, but we now chuckle with playful warnings of a volcano erupting or "Thar she blows!" It actually helps keep things in perspective.

4. Cleaning:  I thought it was just me until Wade not only wanted to play with water in the sink but also mop the house, "the whole house"! (It has been a while- both for the house and for Wade.) If only I enjoyed putting laundry away!

5. Friends:  We are encouraged by the military families and friends around us. There is no time to waste in building relationship!
6. Oh and then there is the Starbucks ice cream I have discovered makes waking up a delight. :) 
7. And exercise helps too!