Ahhh, the military.

Yesterday, I was looking through our "love notes" from last year's Love Jar, and found this:

It was my 4 year old Jumping Bean's Love note to her Daddy. 

I Love when you go to work and sleep at our house. 

You are the sweetest ever.

Whenever Daddy gets to sleep at our house we are very thankful!!

Like today.
Daddy was supposed to walk on the boat tonight or tomorrow morning (after an unexpected 4 day port call) to leave for the big deal deployment.
And yesterday we found out that he won't.
The deployment was cancelled.
A day and a half before leaving.

While this is marvelous news for our household...and for over 5,000 other households...it does present some difficulty for many of the personnel attached to our boat.

People have cancelled their leases and their phone contracts, sold their cars, and moved all of their possessions to storage. Some people have sent their family back to wherever they are from to have support and community. Now the active duty member is here - not deployed - and the family is not. 

Logistically, it is a bit of a challenge. 
Food, fuel, supplies....all have been loaded on the boat, ready for Deployment.
All personnel have loaded their personal effects on the boat in preparation for a long underway.
Whoever is making the decision based on dollar signs  - is forgetting there are people attached to every single one.
This impacts thousands of lives, intimately.


Emotionally, it is an odd grab-bag mix. 
I'm ecstatic he's home.
But.
But I'm happy with reserve.
We have prepped and readied and trained for this deployment.
It is odd for all that work to not be used.
And, we still have friends deploying - just because we aren't doesn't mean the world is suddenly at peace.
I feel guilt over him NOT going - when so many I know have had to weather repeated deployments.

But despite all the crazy that is just normal life...

We are still extremely thankful whenever he goes to work and gets to sleep at our house.

Who needs a schedule anyway? :)

~Whitney Copyright 2013