Did you ever have plans for yourself when you were a little girl/boy? Things that you swore you'd do at a certain age, and things you swore you'd NEVER do? For me, as long as I can remember, I always told myself I'd never date someone in the military. I couldn't imagine having a loved one be sent off to war or wonder what they are going through each day. I told myself I'd never get myself involved with that. Ever.
How did I let this happen?! How did I let a sweet, intelligent and perfect man sweep me off my feet and then leave me for the Army? How did I let myself become so "fallen" that I even said I'd wait for him? That I'd be with him? That I'd suffer through this with him?
Anyway, I've been taking it in stride and laugh at the fact that when you ask for lemons, life hands you watermelons. When you ask for snow you get rain, when you want chocolate you get vanilla, and so on. But I find you have to trust in a higher power and know that things will work out for the best. Going without much communication with him has nearly turned me into a crazy person various amounts of times, but I have not lost my cool yet.
If you are a girlfriend or spouse of someone joining the military, below is a "how-to" or a survival guide" to follow for the beginning.
1.~Establish the feelings between each other before he leaves. Know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you both want the same thing out of each other.
2.~Establish what you both will expect from each other, i.e. frequency of letters, phone calls, visits, etc.
3.~Visits can get expensive. Work out the details of that before they start.
4.~Have someone you can confide in who understands what you're going through. A friend, family member, etc.
5.~Join an online group. There are a lot of online support groups out there, especially dedicated to girlfriends of military service men. They are really supportive.
6.~GOOGLE. Seriously, I have found out a lot just by researching online.
7.~Remain calm, say prayers, and love, as much as you can. \
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