Writings, blankets & comfort

Last year when Charlie was deployed a did a tiny bit of writing. Nothing exciting, just intensely theraputic during his absence. I found an entry that I wrote on April 1st of 2007 concerning Charlie's deployment & have to laugh since this is what we will be faced with again in the very near future. When I penned these words little did I know I would so quickly be coming back to them for comfort. May something here bring you a bit of comfort as well. Enjoy . . .

April 1
Ever since my husband left, my daughter Emma has become very attached to her blankets. There isn’t one in particular that she likes more than the others, any blanket will do. When the trials of life for a two year old become overwhelming she cries for her blanket & is quickly calmed once she has found it. She has a blanket that I just love. It’s pink satin on one side and a crushed velvet on the other side. More days than I care to admit I’ve often wondered if I could curl up with it for a while. When my day becomes more than I can bear will she let me borrow her blanket to calm my fears, frustrations and overall sadness of missing my husband. Would people in the commissary ridicule me for toting a blanket around with me, or will they silently think I’m a genius with plenty of courage. Who doesn’t want a blanket, a soft, a blankie or any other pet name you have known your blanket as to carry with you? Since no formal poll has been taken I’m merely assuming that a blankie will not be on the hottest accessories list of the season. How I wish that weren’t the case. But sadly it is.

As I write this I’m sitting here wondering why I can contemplate becoming a public spectacle without first considering the true source of our comfort. Psalm 119:76 states “May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.” The unfailing love that will see us through a long stretch of time between communication with our spouse. The unfailing love that will see us through a houseful of sick children and a desire to not be the mommy for 5 minutes of rest. A comfort when we think we can’t go on from the sheer misery of missing our husbands. A comfort that no family member, girlfriend or blankie can provide. An unfailing love to be our comfort. In the midst of it all, if we will call upon Him and let Him truly be our comfort we will find perfect peace in the midst of the storm called “another day of a deployment.”