After two months of mentally preparing, weeks of goodbye dinners and outings, multiple sessions of family photos, and tearful goodbyes...Tim boarded the plane (after a brutal weather delay) and is off to his new home in Djibouti.
I have done some research and what I know is it Camp Lemonier lacks what we all know as the comforts of home. Tim (and most probably a roommate) will be residing in a 7x20 foot pod that most of us recognize as a storage building. It has a front door and an air conditioning unit to give relief from the 100 plus degree temps. Roads are shared with camels and donkeys and dust is your everyday friend. Lubbock only thinks they understand dust storms. It is going to be a new and different life. It gives credence to the much used phrase "Join the Navy...see the world". I am quite sure he could do without seeing this particular part of the world but his input was not requested.
Back here at home, we will do everything we can to make sure Mandy and the girls are taken care of.
The holidays this year will be different. Though I understand separation, because Tim was gone for 14 years, we never had a Christmas without all of the kids home. We might have celebrated a few days late but we celebrated together.
Today I am curled up on the couch while the weather outside just screams....STAY INSIDE...trying to feel optimistic. This time next year this phase of Tim and Mandy's life will be over. The girls will have their daddy-o back and things will be normal again. Tim will have another set of experiences to add to his resume and Mandy can pat herself on the back for being the backbone of the family here at home.
I think we will just cue the old ballad from Tony Orlando and Dawn and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon on the Old Oak Tree"....and perhaps we will be able to untie it just little earlier than we expect.....
MAYBE
May the God of hope fill you all with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope and the power of the Holy Spirit
Romans 15:13
Today I am curled up on the couch while the weather outside just screams....STAY INSIDE...trying to feel optimistic. This time next year this phase of Tim and Mandy's life will be over. The girls will have their daddy-o back and things will be normal again. Tim will have another set of experiences to add to his resume and Mandy can pat herself on the back for being the backbone of the family here at home.
I think we will just cue the old ballad from Tony Orlando and Dawn and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon on the Old Oak Tree"....and perhaps we will be able to untie it just little earlier than we expect.....
MAYBE
May the God of hope fill you all with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope and the power of the Holy Spirit
Romans 15:13
No comments:
Post a Comment