Halfway

Today marks the 6-month point in AG's deployment. For some reason, his "mid-leave" two-week break doesn't happen until October. So, I will just have to be patient, and since he was in a small group that left early to set things up for their unit, we don't know yet if he'll be coming back exactly 12 months from when he left, or if he gets stuck in Afghanistan until January. When I think about all the times that we have been able to talk over the phone, no matter how short, or via email, I am grateful. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be stuck waiting for letters to arrive.

I like this photo, and it doesn't reveal any top-secret identifying information. The mountains in the background remind me of Arizona, although it looks like they have a lot more green plants than back home.

12-Month Countdown

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.

525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?

How about love? How about love? How about love?

Measure in love. Seasons of love.

"Seasons of Love" - RENT

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I hate goodbyes. Yesterday, when we left to take AG to the base it was still dark outside. The moon was full, and it was frigid, with the thermometer reading below zero. This was the moment I had been dreading for several months. I hate getting emotional, and worse than that, I hate being emotional in front of people.

The past week, his parents and I helped him pack, and clean out his apartment. I now have an attic with a great big pile of army duffel bags and Rubbermaid storage containers. Being on an elective block, I was fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with him this past week, but somehow it is never enough. His parents were a huge help, if they hadn't been there I would probably still be cleaning and packing today.

Family and friends no longer say their goodbyes at the airport, so we dropped him off and watched him pile into a van. He still had several hours of waiting to go before his flight. When we drove away, the sun was rising, and because of the weather, there was a strangely bright beacon of light that appeared to be shooting up from the sun.

In a way, it is easier now that he is gone, in that now it is just a year-long wait before he comes back. The dreaded goodbye is over, and the waiting is out of my control. Due to his position, he should have occasional Internet access and phone usage, and compared to the places that the other battalions are going, he's going to probably one of the safest areas. I am fortunate in that I have a supportive family, friends, and a busy work schedule to distract me.