The Importance of Friendship during Deployment

“Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief.”— Joseph Addison
This weekend I went to a Beth Moore simulcast and was reminded how I am truly taken care of! It all started when I got an email from a friend last week, Karen. I met Karen this past February when Hubby and I signed up to do a small-group through our church. The small group was intended to do a group-study over Lent. Many of the different groups broke-up after Easter. However, our group kept meeting each week. We were a diverse group but we all got along very well!

Over time they learned that Hubby would soon be leaving for a foreign-land and they were constantly asking how they could help. Hubby’s answer will stick with me for the rest of my life; “Make sure Leanne keeps coming to these meetings” and asked what was going to be his biggest concern while he was across seas: “My family”. Despite being out in the middle of a war-zone he knew his biggest concern was the safety, security and sanity of his family.

My husband knows me … and he knows that he is my very best-friend. I looked forward to him coming home every day from work so that we could talk about each other’s day. I enjoyed sitting with him after dinner and enjoying a glass of wine as we discussed life. I craved time to walk and talk about what was on each other’s mind. The Army was taking my very-best friend and moving him to a new continent, on the other side of the ocean, with many time zones between us.

Which leads us back to the email Karen sent to me last week: Karen sent me an email asking if I wanted to go with her to see Beth Moore. I jumped at the chance. Friday night I walked in the door to church and looked around for Karen. All of a sudden I realized in this sea of women I knew at least a dozen faces, and considered half of those faces more than just acquaintances. They were friends. I moved from one gal to the next asking how they were doing and we updated each other on our summers. I felt blessed. The seminar topic had NOTHING to do with friends. BUT as I sat in the sanctuary Friday night & Saturday morning I could do nothing more than Praise God for knowing me, and bringing all of these friends into my life when I needed them most!

Somehow my head and heart are still stuck on the topic of ‘Friends‘. I know my last post was about how important they are but I just can’t seem to let it go. If you are gearing up for the deployment of your own loved one I would encourage you to take the time to meet some ladies in your area. You will need someone to talk to. You will need someone to ask you how you are doing (even if you never know how to answer that question, like myself.):

• Find a local MOPS chapter if you have children younger than school age;
• Get involved in your spouses’ club, if you are by a military installation;
• Attend a church-service regularly, ask for their prayers for you and your spouse;
• Introduce yourself to your neighbors and let them know what is going on!

– Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.combyLeanneonSunday, August 03, 2008Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:deployment,friends,Leanne