Arrivals and Departures

Every day is a journey, or so they say. Life is filled with constant changes in travel, in phases of our existence. I like to think of it as a constant flow of arrivals and departures. We arrive at the completion of one life experience, and race through the terminal in time to depart on the next.
My life before marriage and children was one of those phases, a journey of self discovery and hopes of an exciting future. After leaving home for college, I embarked on that journey, departed for parts unknown and hoped for a safe and eventful arrival in my imagined future life. The funny thing about life is that we really don't have as much control as we'd like to think we do. We think we have it all figured out, and then there's a change in the itinerary, and the real driver behind that wheel takes us to parts unknown, to a future we never imagined.
After arriving (or so I thought) to the college experience I had dreamed of, I spent three years wandering aimlessly through classes, parties, and other nonsense, only to depart for home.
I left school on a new journey, one meant for recovery and healing, something unexpected and not exactly what I had planned for. What I found when I arrived home was just that: safety, familiarity, security, and ultimately happiness. That journey brought me to my family, my friends, and ultimately my husband, and now two beautiful little girls. That departure from what I thought I wanted, only helped me to arrive to where I am now, where I know I'm meant to be.
And so, we depart again, on a new excursion, a trip to parts unknown, as Nate is deployed. I can surely say that it's not one I'm looking forward to, but one I know we have to make. As with everything else in life, we'll face it head on, take it as it comes, deal with it the best we can, and try to survive through it. Because at this point, that's all we can do. Through it all, I hope to become a stronger person, a better mom for my girls, and an even better wife for my husband who is sacrificing it all. Life is a journey no matter what the destination, how we get there, or when we arrive. It may not be pretty, people, but I know I will have survived through it one way or another; I will have arrived.

Peace like a River...

I've often heard the phrase, "Peace like a river" and wondered about it's meaning. I guess for me, I picture a river as being white-capped and turbulent, full of risk and peril. A River is something that you need a boat and life vest for, more like life. Life to me is turbulent: full of risks, dangers, turmoil, and uncertainty. You get up each day, don your life jacket, grab your paddles, and hope for the best. You may not know what lies ahead, but you sure hope that you find your way through it safely and in one piece.
In my mind, I imagine Peace to be like a desert. Although I've never been in a desert, I imagine it to be a vast empty land with nothing around: no distractions, no stress, nothing to do. Sometimes I'd like to having nothing to do, no responsibilities or duties, no rules or regulations. Sometimes I'd like to just walk for days to find water and not be on any kind of schedule. Maybe in this imaginary desert I could stumble across an oasis and have everything I need: solitude, water, clean air, and rest. It's at this oasis that I imagine napping and dreaming and achieving that peace that we all hope for.
Nate will soon be in a desert of his own, although far more real than my imaginary one. His will in fact be far more dangerous, more like a turbulent white-capped river. And so, while I imagine my peaceful desert, I pray for his perilous one and hope that he is embraced in safety and comfort, in strength and ultimately peace-of-mind in knowing that we are here at home, patiently waiting, loving him from afar, and anxiously awaiting his return home.