Nov. 21
Hubby came home from deployment to the Middle East the morning of the 20th. The 21st was spent running errands. I am thankful for a sense of normal.
When a military member leaves for a long trip like hubby did, it is hard for the first week or two until I get a routine down. Once that occurs, day by day is marked off the calendar as a temporary routine occurs. Sunday is church, Monday is errands, Tuesday is a local market, etc. The hard part comes when the routine is so down pat that when the loved one returns, it's hard to break the routine and re-instill the old one or to invent a new one. Hubby & I have done this for a few years now and are getting a little better at re-establishing our routine that takes precedence over my temporary one. It's we because I need to figure out how to stop my old one and allow a new one to form; while he needs to give me time and us patience for it to form. The good thing is that this day we ran errands (I had pushed back to help) just like we would have done if he had been off work and was going along with me. That sense of normal was reassuring and comforting. It's nice to know your loved one is safely home and just going about your day-to-day stuff...like he had never left.
