I originally started this blog as something for my family while my husband was deployed. He was gone, I had a 3 month old and I needed some way to share our photos and experiences with him. It was so easy to just load up the pictures when I needed to...then the unthinkable happened. My husband got injured while overseas and my life just crashed. Don't get me wrong, its not like our life was all kicks and giggles for the first year of our marriage it seemed like we had one trial after another. But we made it through and we KNEW God would bless our family, and he did! With our handsome lil man! 3 months later the hubbster was sent to Afghanistan, we both knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, we were just hoping he'd have more time with his new lil man before heading out.
The first few months of his deployment were constant fear, on both our parts. I have no words to describe the first time I received a phone call at 2 o'clock in the morning telling me that, "no matter what I hear on the news, I'm ok." Then later find out that his FOB was attacked and that they had been evacuated to another FOB a short distance from where he just was to be attacked again and put back at the original FOB for clean up and returning to "normal" life over there. Within a week or 2 he was assigned a mission that he would never come back the same from...
They left thinking all was good and that there was nothing to worry about, it was just a routine mission. When they get out there the find all that they were looking for and get ready to "do their job" and one of the other guys on the mission with my husband steps on a landmine and gets seriously injured along with my husband. No one will ever know the fear that went through my body when I heard the words, "Are you sitting? [Your husband]'s been hurt and is going to the hospital in Germany and will be sent back stateside as soon as possible." This man had no other information for me than my husband was hurt and he's being sent home as soon as possible.
The next 72 hours for me were a whirl wind of emotions and actions. I was visiting family so I had to quickly get ready to go wherever my husband was going to be sent to (I didn't know at the time where they were sending injured soldiers). I was being called every 8 hours or so with updates about what was going on with him, as far as what they could read off of the reports. And I was dealing with family stateside, that really didn't want to hear from me but someone else. Life was crazy! When we finally knew where he was being sent, my mom, sister and I packed up my lil man and our things and drove all night to meet my husband at the hospital in the morning (quite literally we drove 24 hours to get to him JUST as they had gotten him all hooked up in the ICU). I was FINALLY able to see my husband! The relief it was for me to be able to see him and see how good/bad he really was doing did my heart good!
The next week he was in the ICU until they could take him off of most of the machines he needed to be off of and most of the meds they put you on when they start patching you up out in the field. Life got even crazier as my MIL (we didn't get along at the time) and I kept bumping heads. None of the doctors were telling me anything and she, somehow, got ALL of the information. Through all of this, I had an amazing sister who kept guiding me to do the right thing with my relations and gave me several scriptures to help me through all of my decisions I needed to make. My mom was able to stay and watch my son,but it was very overwhelming for her because our lil man couldn't be in the hospital too much (he was only about 6 months at the time and couldn't handle it).
I kept praying for my husband to pull through and to accomplish everything he's wanted to do with the military. I prayed that he'd be able to see out of his right eye again, and that he'd walk again. I knew that through my faith, and the faith and prayers of others, that he'd pull through. He'd be whole again. Slowly he began to do little things again, like feed himself, wash his own hair or even shave. He had to be in a wheel chair for a long time but he was able to walk again within 2 months, with the use of a cane. He had to have surgery, but was able to see again and is now able to shoot marksman when they go to the range. He has overcome a lot, through the grace of God alone. And our family has grown closer to each other and the Gospel because of it.
Trials will come in our lives and we'll all wonder "why," even if it's just for a moment. But we've learned that we need to thank God for our trials, through these experiences we become stronger in our faith, and closer to our Father in Heaven. No matter what trial comes instead of asking "why" let us ask God to "give me strength to make it through, please." Let us lean on those around us who are so willing to help and to lift us up. Let us serve others and remember that this life is not about us, but what we do to lift others up out of their trials.
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