i probably shouldn’t say this
knowing this will come off wrong, i am thankful for the COVID-19 pandemic.
this does not mean i want people sick and dying. this doesn’t mean i am not sensitive to those who have lost their jobs and so much more. i live in a perfect little bubble. my husband and child are healthy. the military provides steady employment for my husband and insures me and my daughter as dependents of our active duty member.
but i am so thankful for this precious time we have gotten to be together as a family. my husband missed 3/4 of my pregnancy during the hottest summer on record at our base in japan, a summer where our air conditioning when out 4 times! but i was thankful he was there for the delivery, something not promised to any military family. he was gone for 3 weeks as soon as his paternity leave was up for a beautiful humanitarian aid mission. he was in a school program for 5 months that took him away before the baby woke up and brought him home just in time to kiss her before bed most nights.
this crazy, awful, confusing time in the world has him on a decreased work schedule. we have gotten to see more of him than ever and we are spoiled! he is now the one our girl asks for half of the time and that makes my heart leap. we’d done the typical military child comfort trick and ordered a daddy doll. when he was gone she would hug it and say “where’s daddy?”. she would get excited when she saw his car pull up outside.
but now, she gets upset when he walks out the door. sometime in the last 2 weeks she has started speaking in small sentences and this morning he walked out the door and she cried as usual but I then heard her say “want to say goodbye!”
i know this is something all children do. but today it was mine. my child stood broken hearted at the door. and in a strange way, in the way i am thankful for COVID-19, i was thankful. thankful we have gotten enough time with our patriarch to miss him.
while i will cherish the image of her, shoe in hand, wanting to chase him down the walkway, I am hopeful life will get back to “normal” soon and we will know what was important during these hard times and prioritize.
i’ll end with how grateful I am for the healthcare workers, the mom’s homeschooling their kiddos, the teachers keeping their students engaged from afar, the essential workers, the restaurants that persevered and kept their takeout business open, and all facets of people who have done what they can to make sure life goes on. thank you!
please find ways to make the best of a less than ideal time. walk, journal, craft, tidy up, call a friend, catch up with family, start that blog you’ve been putting off… find the blessing in disguise.
above is the link, these hug a hero dolls are not just great for military families, if a parent has any reason they can’t be there for important times in their child’s life, these are great!
STAY HEALTHY EVERYONE! STAY HOME! STAY SAFE!
