Distance, I believe is the hardest part of living here in Japan. Although I am loving it and am having an awesome time, it is hard to be so far away from my friends and family in Alabama and Texas.
I am from North Alabama, I have a big family and we're pretty much the typical "Southern family." We're close and we look for an excuse to spend time together. We grill. We lay by the pool. We drink. We talk. We laugh. You get the idea I'm sure. At our previous duty station, we were able to make the drive to Bama to see my family and the drive to Texas to see my in-laws. Here in Japan it isn't that easy. If the military would let us fly for free - maybe. We do have many resources available for travel, but it still is not free.
My mother is hosting a family reunion at her house this weekend for her side of the family. It's really in honor of my grandparents, Shelby and Glenn. My family and I won't be there. I won't be there to celebrate this special day with such special people and that's a crappy feeling to be brutally honest. My grandpa was in the Army for over 20 years. He survived 2 tours in Vietnam, 1 in Korea and a wife and two daughters! : ) My grandmother went 12 - 13 months without her husband, and this was in a time before email and cell phones. She was raising two very young girls by herself, with no car and no family around to help. Although they never lived overseas together, she understands my situation. They both do. They are what I hope to become in my later years.
Being in Japan has somehow brought me closer to them, especially my grandmother. Although I have always been close to them, for some reason it took moving away to really realize just how amazing they are, how amazing ALL my grandparents are. When I feel weak and think that I hate being a military family (ONLY because the kids and I are separated from my husband), I think of them and all they endured. I think of how strong she must have been, not knowing if her husband was okay for days, sometimes weeks at a time. She didn't receive an email when he landed in a war zone. She waited...patiently impatient for a letter to arrive in her mailbox to tell her he was safe and that he missed her.
For me, when I think of my life as a Navy wife - I think of those two wonderful people. They give me the strength I need to get through an underway, deployment and a short-notice change in the ships schedule. I can simply pick up the phone and dial that old familiar number and my worries and sadness disappear. They are always there when I need them. Always. They lend an ear when I need to complain, they give me heartfelt advice when I need it, but they are not above giving you a piece of their minds!
Those two people have taught me more than they'll ever know. Love and respect for my country for one. I truly believe they are the glue that holds me together as a spouse of the United States Military. From as young as I can remember, PawPaw was telling me about the flag and what it represents, the men and women who have fought and died so that I can be free. I remember the Veteran's Day parade he'd always take us to, making sure our hats were off and our hands were over our hearts. He'd cry every time he heard the National Anthem - I cry too because of him. Nanny being a proud and fiercely independent woman who'd always say, "Yes what? Yes ma'am, that's right. Don't you back talk your Nanny now." She too would tell us the importance of our country and she made sure we thanked our PawPaw for it too. She remembers fondly being an Army wife and I love to hear her stories. I love to hear both their stories. They have influenced my life in more ways than I can say and I love them more than there are words. I will raise my children with the same morals and values they helped instill in me. I love everyone in my family and I miss them all terribly.
Zac Brown said it best in the song Highway 20 Ride - "And I count the days and the miles back home to you..."
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