Moments of Musing

Proud

Filed Under: aloha //

“And then, on September 11, the world fractured.” – President Obama
 

9/11 Memorial (taken October 2011)

 
September 11, 2001 will forever be etched in my memory. I lived in NYC. My dad was a NYPD Detective who rushed to the scene (he was thankfully unharmed). Family members worked in Manhattan, including a cousin -who was off work due to surgery- in one of the towers. 
 
I pray for everyone involved and I admire our heroes all the more. Today (and everyday), I am proud to be an American, a New Yorker, the daughter of a NYPD First Responder, and the girlfriend of a service member who’s been deployed numerous times, twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
 
 
Cue the milso-related remainder of this post. If you remember, I posted about things military spouses don’t say a little while back. Well, I actually just recently came across this article and figured it’d be fair to talk about some of the things I actually do say:
 
I have an unhealthy relationship with my phone.
When I’m not with T, I’m with my phone because that’s how we communicate the majority of the time, especially when he was underway and deployed. So, unfortunately for those around me, it’s almost attached to my hand when I’m out and about. I’m currently much better about this because he isn’t deployed and we have each other’s schedules down … but when he’s somewhere new or something is going on, I can’t promise not to look at my phone a lot.

I’ll believe the return date/time when he/she is standing in front of me.
  I am a planner but the military does not allow for much planning. So this has been one of my biggest struggles. Almost 3 years later, I still get very upset when plans aren’t made well in advance or have to be changed because of military-related issues. Overall, though, it hasn’t been too hard or bad. We’ve never had to drastically alter visits or trips and for that I am grateful.

 
I got this!
Or even better – we got this. Time and time again, I am reminded by Timmy that we are a team. Partners. Neither one of us is going through the distance or in a military relationship alone. Knowing he misses me as much as I miss him, and supports me as much as I do him has been one of the most helpful things for me.
 
REMEMBER OPSEC!!
  This is so important. During deployments, underways, workups, etc. it’s vital to keep sensitive information to yourself. Keeping the guys and girls out of as much of harm’s way as possible shouldn’t be as difficult as it seems with others spewing off dates and locations. Don’t be one of those people. Don’t communicate the information to others unless it’s been made public i.e. on the web, in newspapers, on t.v. etc.
 
. . . And my favorite:
 
How do I do it?  One day at a time… because I LOVE him/her.
 Taking it one day at a time is a sure way to help myself cope with his demanding career. Of course, some days are harder than others. The lonely nights and months of distance catch up to me sometimes. But in general, it’s actually pretty easy to support T when his passion is selfless and admirable. He supports our country so I support him. Most importantly, he loves me and I love him. That’s what it comes down to.
 
 


About Jacqueline Hernandez Lewis

Featured on Associated Press as a trailblazing Latina influencer and on Parents as a Latina mom to follow, Jacqueline Hernandez Lewis is a writer and content creator celebrating womanhood, motherhood and humanity. She also works for a NYC nonprofit dedicated to preventing domestic violence and promoting gender justice. Of all her roles, mom and wife are her favorite.

Comments

  2. Lisa C

    I def agree with the return date. Mac's moved from November to October to August to December. Then their plane was delayed, so they wound up getting home a week late.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *