Thursday's Thoughts

Today's Thought

Where'd you go? I miss you so, seems like it's been forever, that you've been gone. -Fort Minor, "Where'd You Go"

I found myself in the car, listening to this song again the other day, and although it has been a favorite of mine since the album came out, it struck me harder than ever. My family and I came to this new duty station with the expectation that we would at last get a little family time. I am not complaining, because I do get to lay next to my wife every night, but this expectation was very erroneous. Time is a precious commodity here. ISP was brutal and honestly, the demands haven't lessened since I got back to teaching. I've been feeling a little like a transient in my own home.

But then as I was listening to this song, I thought of when I first heard it. At the time I was in the desert. As the song talks about my wife was scheduling her day around my phone calls, or yahoo conversations. I was worried then about the rest of the song eventually coming true. I've seen too many failed marriages and too many soldiers taking the other way out of a marriage to think that it's not at least partly about all the time we spend away. And I really feel that this is one of the most unsung costs of war. So as the discussions heat up about surges, pullouts, and other military decisions, I hope that someone who gets to be a decider understands this as well as my family.