Cherished

I posted a few pictures from this photo shoot right after Mike deployed in a previous post, here, but only this week did I receive the CD with all of our shots. It was a spur of the moment decision to get some family shots before Mike left, and I'm so glad we did. It's become so clear how short a time we are given with our children and my heart breaks for all that my sweet, wonderful and caring husband is missing.

It would most definitely come out better from Mike himself, but I do feel the need to say that Yes, we have as a family, made a commitment to serve our country and No, we do not always like what that means we must do--in all seriousness the reality of our constant separation is just plain hard to stomach. BUT... we are ALL called to do something...and for us this is it. Mike finds pride in the work that he does, and I will forever be proud of him for the sacrifices he makes every day in order to serve our country. I will also raise our children to be proud of and respect their father. While he is away, I will make sure that they know what's in heart--His love of the Lord, our Maker, his devotion to our family and the immense love he has for each one of us. From his example in service I hope they will one day inherit his sense of duty, strong commitment, work ethic, and loyalty. From his presence in our lives I hope they inherit his determination, sound-mindedness, caring heart, patience, and fun-loving nature.

All of this said, we handle our time apart as best we can. I do everything I can to make sure my kids never feel like they were missing out on anything. Years from now they are not going to remember the first few years of their lives and all the times Mike wasn't able to be with them, but thankfully they will have pictures like these to look back on and they will know that the times they DID share with their father were precious and wonderful.

And in the mean time, I will be looking at these pictures and looking forward with excitement to the time when we can all be together again.