Surprise deployment

Today is Wednesday. It is the Wednesday before Valentine's day and I have been having a very stressful couple of weeks. The baby has been sick for almost 2 weeks which means late night wake-up calls and nebulizer treatments. I have been late to work, late to sleep, and low on energy. I took both my classes on a field trip today which meant extra work collecting signatures and money, confirming with the bus, organizing name tags and contact information, preparing the materials for the trip, confirming with the site and of course buckling what feels like a thousand car seats over bulky winter coats that turn my little ones into the giant Stay-puff Marshmallow man from Ghost Busters. Well, maybe it was only 18 car seats, but it felt like a thousand. I had to prepare for having 2 substitutes and an unknown Teaching Intern to run my class tomorrow while my assistant and I attend a required training for a committee we are both on. I am organizing not one, but two Valentine's Day parties for my classes and volunteered to make treats for my daughter's class. I have written out dozens of Valentines for my children's classes and have a couple dozen more to do. I have cleaned a linen closet, painted a large bedroom with 10' high ceilings, brought a load of boxes to the storage unit, and bought packing materials to pack several more large items in later this weekend. I took my kids to multiple doctor appointments and got their medical paperwork ready for our move. I purchased both my husband's Valentine's gift and something for my son. I still need to swing by and pick up that jewelery box for my daughter. I have paid bills, and shopped online for my husband's birthday next week. I have done the vast majority of this while feeling like a single-mom since my husband has had long duty hours in preparation for and during the current inspection. And that right there is the key; I have felt like a single mom, but I have not been one. I have cuddled with my warm husband when the bed was cold at night. He helped get the baby ready and kept our daughter focused on the mornings he didn't have to go in early. He made it home in time for goodnight hugs and kisses even on the nights he worked late. He worked long hours, but he did come home.

Today is Wednesday. Today my friend found out her husband is deploying to Iraq for seven months, he leaves on Saturday. They have three days to prepare for seven months of separation. They need to gather his gear, buy supplies, prepare his uniforms, organize everything he is going to need for the next seven months, and pack his bags. They have to renew her power of attorney, be sure all ID's and required paperwork is up to date, and review his will. They have 3 days to prepare their children for Daddy leaving and not coming home again for seven months. He won't be home for Valentine's day, Easter, the school program in the spring, Pre-K graduation, 4th of July, summer vacation, the start of the next school year or Labor Day weekend. Today is Wednesday, he leaves on Saturday.

Suddenly the mountain of stress I felt I was under has shrunk to an ant hill in comparison. Today is Wednesday, he leaves on Saturday.