Homecoming

Memorial Day always makes me reflective of my time in the Army and my time as an Army wife. I will say that without a doubt, my time as an Army wife was ten thousand times more difficult than anything I did while in the Army myself. I think there were a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which was Andrew's deployment (and all the rushing and worrying that went along with it).

Two things touched me this past weekend in all the Memorial Day hub bub (and no it was not Macy's super patriotic and appropriate to the occasion sale). The first is the NYTimes mosaic of those who have lost their lives in the current war, "Faces of the Dead." I think people have become immune not just to news of the wars but to the death toll and items like this to help remind us that each death is a person who was loved by so many are important. This is the mosaic featuring MAJ Mike Martinez, my first OIC at Fort Carson who was killed in January, 2006.

The second item was the Pioneer Woman's photo essay on "Homecoming." Andrew's homecoming ceremony is still the most emotional day of my life and honestly something I still can't put into words. The feelings of that day were amazing and larger than life. Being in that hanger, well it's still something that gives me goosebumps to think about. I am so lucky that our deployment was as smooth and without incident as it was, and that my homecoming memories are only ones of anticipation and happiness. Take a look at some of the amazing photos PW shared, it is the closest thing I can find to describe what our own homecoming was like and to try to express that I know just how lucky, lucky, lucky we are.