Hello again, dear friends! After a long break to savor the Christmas season, and a little bit more time away from writing to watch the first month of the new year slip away like sand through my fingers, I’m back to share with you a life update that I’ve been wanting to give you for years. I spent the last week of January with a cold, and while I don’t particularly enjoy being sneezy, runny, and congested, I am thankful for a few days of forced slowness; something I would not willingly give myself under normal circumstances. With all of my spare time, I wanted to dedicate a portion of it to you, and filling you in on what is going on over here on the Virginia homestead, and share this bittersweet update with you.
As is the reality for many, we’ve found ourselves these last few years living through a shift in the paradigm that was our long- and short-term goals. The plans that were so sure for my long-term-obsessed husband, always making sure things are lining up to make our retired years as smooth sailing as possible, have been utterly decimated. This was – and if you know my feelings on the military then this will come as no shock to you at all – the best thing that has happened to us yet. Naturally, it’s taken dear hubby a few years to come to grips with it all but here we are, focused and determined on closing out one chapter, and opening up another.
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What this entails, of course, is a career change for hubby (but really for all of us). I am surprised to learn just how mentally and emotionally exhausting a career change has turned out to be. But each week brings news, both good and bad, and each day is another day closer to leaving the military for good. We have just 7 months until we are free, which truthfully feels like 7 lifetimes with just how many absurdities we still have to deal with, such as exiting the unit, hoping they keep their word on certain things, and the usual runaround. There is nothing straightforward about a process that should be completely straightforward but welcome to life under the military. In the meantime, all we can really do is wait out the clock, and prepare as much as possible; fully sensible that all of those preparations – and money spent on them – could very well be all for naught. Despite such uncertainties, hubby has already been pursuing certificates to lead him into his next career, but of course there is no knowing if all of this will pay off for a few months yet. Very draining to say the least. Facing potential loss of income should things not go according to what little planning we have been allowed is an ever-present concern.
It is yet another test of faith that we are living through. It has all the earmarks of one. Having lived already through a few of these, and coming out more steady in my faith after each one, I do believe entirely that the Lord has our next chapter planned out, and in a way that will bless us after a decade wandering the “wilderness.” I hope that the next life update I publish for you will have happy news of a prospect of a new and better job, a notice that we have listed our house for sale, and a knowledge of where we will be living come this fall! Such certainties, and stability are what I’m looking forward to most upon leaving the military. The freedom to make choices in these regards are also luxuries that I am looking forward to getting acquainted with. I always say, hubby fights for freedoms that we are not permitted to enjoy. Until then, expect to see more of the usual fashion, and lifestyle content that I’ve happily created for the past five (!!) years, and please don’t hesitate to use the comments section to share your thoughts!
xo, Mia