Don't pity me, but do give me grace.

I guess I am addressing the dreaded deployment again. First, please forgive me if I don't answer questions about where he is stationed or when he is coming home(I don't know when he is coming home anyway.). I am going to try very hard not to publish information that could even have the remotest possibility of jeopardizing operation security as I do not want to do anything that could cause my husband(or someone else's) to get injured. So -- the deployment.... Is this our first separation? Sadly, no. We have spent -so far- over the course of our 12 year marriage, approximately 2 1/2 years worth of it apart. Is it hard? Absolutely. Is it a sacrifice? You bet. Sometimes in ways my family and I don't even realize (let alone people who aren't living it). I appreciate every person who says, "Thank you for your sacrifice." or "I appreciate what your husband is doing for me." Pray for us, for sure. Offer your support, yes please! But please do not feel sorry for us. This is a life we have chosen for ourselves and our family. We accept the sacrifices and the separations and possibility of wrenching loss. We also have an amazing built-in family wherever we move to and I never have to worry about whether or not I can take any one of our children to the doctor when they need to go. We make enough money for me to stay home full-time with the children and still be able to eat. It has given my husband the opportunity to fulfill his role as our provider and our hero and gives him meaningful and challenging work to do. His job has brought us to our current station where I have seen him step into the role of the Christian head of our household; Where we got baptized as a family and where (due to the lack of worldly distractions) I have become a bajillion times better of a person as I have focused more and more on my walk with God. The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want.