Finding Friends

It has been 4.5 days since Caleb left... I honestly have been doing pretty well... give or take several "break down" moments... I have kept myself busy by hanging out with the other wives in the same situation... which has been such a blessing. I am so grateful for all of the amazing wives that I have met down here and the friendships that I have made...it's such a strong relationship that we all have. I remember having people pray for us to find friends when we moved here as Caleb and I both had such close, wonderful, lifelong friends back home... but the funny thing about the military is you don't FIND FRIENDS. You GAIN a family member. In the Army you don't necessarily have friends... you have an immediate family. I can't believe HOW CLOSE you get in such a short amount of time... I truly feel like I have known our friends here our entire lives. We're always calling/emailing/texting each other to check in on one another... the first few months we were here our door was literally "open" for any/all to come by and hang out... and not many days went by withOUT people coming in... not only are these people my closest friends, but they are some of the strongest people I have EVER met in my ENTIRE LIFE. Over the past year quite a few of my closest friends in the military have moved away, but unlike a lot of my friendships throughout my life, I have kept in touch with them- not a week goes by where I don't talk to them... sometimes I ask myself "gosh, is this really what a friendship is supposed to look like?" It's a two-way street- we're ALWAYS checking in on each other- it's not necessarily just one person always calling or texting... I have never opened up to people more in my life than now... maybe that's why we're all so close- we just have too much knowledge about the other person to "back out" of the friendship. Ever since Caleb left, I have gotten even closer to the other military wives that I barely knew... we stick together... I have already received countless phone calls/texts/emails either calling because they need company, or calling to say "I'm thinking of you and praying for you"... I can't really even describe the friendship that we have with one another... it's just a "different" way of living. There are so many differences between the "Army people" and the "civilian people"- by no means am I saying one is better than the other, but I am saying that I'm so blessed by the people I have met down here... especially when my "civilian" friends call to talk and mention how lonely they are... I can't even remember how many times someone outside of the Army has called me to say that they're lonely, or are "home alone, so call anytime because I have no one to talk to and miss my other half"... and I can't even begin to tell you just how many times I have put the phone away from my ear and taken a huge breath in and a huge breath out... "they don't understand" I say... "they're trying to understand, but they can't"... or "they're trying to make a connection with you having a similar thing in common- loneliness"... but in all reality, it's not the same. My military wives are breaking down every time they hear these words from someone close to them. We're all hurting and missing our other half... but somehow, we're dealing with it... possibly by putting the phone down with these people and instantly calling our military wives and saying "oh man, you HAVE to hear what my civilian friend just said- I can't believe it..." it's just one of those things... or possibly by just being there for each other and listening to them cry, talk, or yell about things... either way, I'm so abundantly blessed by ALL of my friends-whether in the "civilian world" or the "Army world"... I can't even remember just how many phone calls I have received over the past few days where people have said "I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you... and if you ever need anything let me know... praying for you." I'm so thankful for all of my friends... I'm even thankful for the friends that complain to ME about how lonely THEY are... because in some way, I know all too well what they're going through.