For My Milspouse Friends

I could not watch this without tearing up. It brought back all those times on the pier, kissing my submariner goodbye. The sun is usually just barely peeking through the horizon when we get there. I always get out of the car and follow him around while he gets his sea bag and other last minute things out of the trunk. Then, we get to hang on to each other one last time before he has to walk away. There is nothing lonelier than the drive home, and the day following, knowing he is slipping out to sea as you go about your business; not knowing when you'll hear from him, or if he'll actually come home the day they say he will. But you know what's the worst part of it? Watching him say goodbye to his sons. The older they get, the harder this all is. I am so dreading the next time Oliver goes out to sea. It's one thing to get yourself through it; it's another thing entirely to get your children through it. In light of that, I wanted to share something I ran across today. There is an organization that is making quilts and pillows for military kids. It's goal is to comfort them when they are gone. If I remember correctly, children under 7 get a quilt, and those older receive a pillow. You send in 7-9 pictures of your child with their parent, and they put them on the quilt or pillow. I'm totally going to get one made for Wyatt. He has a "Daddy book" (a photo album I put together for him with pictures of him and his dad), and a "Daddy bear" (a build-a-bear his grandparents bought him with a voicebox Oliver recorded a message on). If I get him this, he will also have a "Daddy blanket"! I know it will be something he carries around a lot. He's a blankie boy. I'd want one for Oscar, too, but I have to think about it. We don't have as many good pictures to choose from because he's so little, and, really, it won't mean much to him now. But, if I wait, I might not be able to get one at all, so, hrm, we'll see about that. If you want to look into getting one for your kids, here is the website: Operation Kid Comfort.