My husband deployed at the beginning of December in 2005. Although we did not realize it at that time, I was pregnant with our first child.

I packed up a miniature Christmas tree, tiny little ornaments, and my best cookie recipe in a Christmas Stocking to send him a little Holiday cheer. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, after all.

Six years and three kids later, we treasure each Holiday we have together…

Here are some great care package ideas from a fabulous reader, and Facebook fan, Heather E. Sosa!

When Trooppaws contacted me to ask if I could share their sweet stuffed animal plush puppies, sewn from authentic military uniform fabric, I immediately asked if I could offer one to a reader, instead.

Nothing can take the place of a parent or other loved one in a child’s life but offering a special, personalized gift can help ease the anxiety of separation.

“There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.”
– The Wizard, Schmendrick, from The Last Unicorn

Intact. We use it when “things” are “not broken”, when they are still “working”. And we use it sometimes to gloss over the hidden fissures…the cracks that deepen under stress and strain.

My husband returned from Iraq on October 31, 2006–four and a half years ago. His story is his own and not mine to share. But the story of Odysseus’s return is as much Penelope’s as it is his…

Let an overseas serviceperson know you care on Valentine’s Day. Bring in a Valentine to a participating The UPS Store location, and we’ll pay for the first-class postage. It’s one small way we can show our appreciation.

Many of The UPS Store locations have Sunday hours. Last day to ship is Monday, January 31st!

According to this article, Army Sends Infant to Protective Services, Mom to Afghanistan (found via @JessicaGottlieb on Twitter), a single mom is being ordered to deploy even though she has no one to care for her child…

My husband (a Veteran), pointed me to an interesting column from the New York Times: Back From Home, But Not Really Home. The article discusses some of the ambiguity of this day that honors the service of our Veterans and draws parallels to Odysseus’ homecoming.

In a time of war, our veterans may find they have difficulty re-entering the society they fought to protect…

Whether you are moving to a new country, an isolated posting, or your servicemember is deploying, I advise you to “grow where you are planted”.

Get involved, get busy. Or, as Tim Gunn says, “make it work”.

Reach out to other military spouses. Find deployment support groups, try the FRG, volunteer on post. Most posts have a community center where you will find postings for groups, classes, seminars and events.

A Reader Asks:
Happy Veterans’ Day! I just found your blog and I was wondering if there are directions to making a military family binder, something that would include military records, important numbers, deployments, LES, or anything you can think of. My husband is an Army Reservist and I think this could be very helpful.
First of all, Happy Veterans’ Day to you, too! Thank you and your husband for serving!
You did not mention if your husband has been activated in anticipation of a deployment. Regardless, there are …

For the military wife bloggers out there, or anyone whose husband is frequently gone on business trips, do you blog when the soldier is away from home? Do you feel you have enough anonymity or are you not concerned about any safety issues? Does it matter if he is away for a shorter or longer time? (I’m assuming male spouses don’t worry about this…but maybe I’m wrong.)
When DH was active duty, I always felt uncomfortable blogging about his absence while he was on field exercises…yet, I blogged …