Currently, my husband is away from us for some extended job interviews. Because this is not a recurring thing, my daughters and I will be staying with family for help and support while he is gone for ten weeks.
Our separation is mild compared to what some families endure on a daily basis. Military deployments, jobs out of town and graveyard shifts all make normal like difficult at times. Many families out there are faced with keeping their families strong during times of separation.
The article got me thinking of how I, as the mom and wife can keep our little family strong. A few of the points that stood out to me were:
- Keep consistent with family prayer, family scripture study and family home evening whether Dad is home or not.
- Faith-building experiences can be shared regardless of distance.
- Communicate daily. Webcams, text messaging, e-mail and phone calls all make communication possible.
- Be positive and grateful for the current situation of your family.
- Include your husband in important family decisions.
- Take advantage of every moment that you do have together.
We are learning as we spend time away from each other. Although it is not ideal, I have felt a greater appreciation for my husband and for the important part that he is in our family.
If you haven't had the chance, check out the mentioned article on page 54 of the July Ensign. The following article entitled, "Spiritual Safety Tips", is also a good one. If you don't subscribe to the Ensign, it can be downloaded here.
Are you a "road warrior" family? How have you dealt with times of separation?
Stay tuned next week for an interview with Erica Holland, a mama to three and wife of a military husband. Erica and Brad were a "road warrior" family during his year-long deployment to Iraq.
6 comments:
I just read that article too and enjoyed the advice. When my husband is going to be gone overnight or for bedtime, he makes sure to call our son to talk about the day and say goodnight. He calls me separately, usually later. Max gets so excited when the phone rings and I tell him it is for him. It is just a little thing to make sure Max knows his dad is thinking of him.
My husband was separated from me and our four kids for 6 weeks this summer because of a family emergency. It was a very difficult time. But I found that we were happiest when we communicated better (nightly phone calls to the kids and frequent webcam conferences. And, like many challenges in my life, the hard times prepared me to find more joy in being reunited as a family.
I loved that article in the Ensign and sent a copy out to Iraq for Richard. He loved it too. We write each other emails about our days, talk on Skype whenever possible and Richard always tries to Skype with us before the girls go to bed so we can say family prayer together. I thought it would be weird with the webcam but it's not, it really brings peace into our home. What would we do without webcams? Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Can't wait to see you in September!
Wow, I'm not sure I deserve that buildup. I'll have to come up with something insightful now! I also loved that article. I have an insider tip that the Ensign has more in store for military families, so stay posted for that too.
you are such a good mom!
I feel like I'm hitting you up with comments in all arenas today! Thank you thank you Erin. Somehow our Ensign subscription got lost between our two moves in 6 months, and I just went and renewed it. I also added The Friend to the mix. With Dusty being in the field almost every week, and Ranger School right around the corner, I needed this. I'm going to share it with the girls in my FRG. Many of them are good Christian girls, and I think they would enjoy it.
I wrote on my blog about something really sweet Dusty did before he left for 10 days, and it really made all the difference and taught me that I need to do more little things to build our relationship...especially with him being gone so much.
Love your blog. Thanks again.
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