My 4th of July

There have been many times when the Marine Corps has handed me things in life that I’d like to hand right back while screaming at the top of my lungs and throwing a good ole’ fashioned temper tantrum.  But my Independence Day celebration reminded me of a positive truth about this lifestyle.  Since we all have the ability to concentrate on the negative aspects so well, I thought I’d share a small story that helped me re-discover the joy of this military life of mine.

I am a non-custodial mother that lives about 800 miles away from three of the most precious children you will ever meet. This means that for at least 46 weeks of every year, they go to bed without me tucking them in, struggle through homework without my help in solving the problems, and just live life without me present.  It’s not the easiest journey, and you’ll often find me thinking about how it can possibly be changed, but to make a long story short, it’s the best that can be right now.

Over the past two weeks, my husband and I have been blessed to have all of our kids together under our roof.  Blessed – and more than slightly chaotic! I drove close to 4,000 miles in less than two weeks to make this happen, so you’ll see immediately how very important it was to us to make this work. Their summer visitation this year is shorter than it should be thanks to frustrations with the ex, but at least it existed and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

On the 4th of July in a town like the one we are stationed in, one has to get a bit nervous about taking children out for the fireworks.  We live in Virginia Beach, which is apparently the vacation capitol of the world, or something similar – and no one told us that when we moved here last fall. So, here we are with 4 kids and no desire to brave the masses to watch fireworks.  And the Marine Corps moves in.

This is not a moment where the CO messes up every plan you had for pre-deployment leave, nor a time when paychecks are monumentally less than they should be, nor a 2 o’clock in the morning phone call that forces your husband from his bed. This moment came in the form of a man my husband serves with, just offering up his house and yard on a lake, complete with a barbecue and fireworks.  The food was amazing, the company even better, and then came the magic.

I watched this young Marine – a new father himself – take my children to the lakeside, and carefully teach them about fireworks.  He held the older ones as he taught them how to light one, laughed out loud as the youngest oohed and aahed over the beautiful colors, and once again restored my faith in the brotherhood that we are blessed to be a part of.  In those simple acts, he taught my children what a real man is capable of when he sets his mind to caring for those around him more than for himself.

I hope you have a few moments that remind you of the beauty of this military life of ours.