Love and Care Packages

Brian has truly amazed me over the past four months. I married a man with incredible character. I have so much respect for the way Brian lives his life and the kind of husband he chooses to be to me every day. This has become even more apparent since he's been deployed. I know there is no way on God's green earth that I would give up my comfortable way of life to do what he is doing. Maybe he wouldn't have done it either, given the choice in the moment, but he chose to join the Army knowing this was a very real possibility. I can imagine how bitter and negative I would feel towards the whole thing if I were in his shoes.

I think what impresses me the most about Brian recently is how upbeat and positive he is every time we talk. I rarely hear him complain about anything, and that's certainly not because everything there is sunshine and rainbows. This situation is harder and crappier for him than it is for me, and he is typically the one offering encouragement. He sends me handwritten letters and thoughtful e-mails. He wakes up extra early just to make sure we get a chance to talk. He leads us in whatever study we're doing or book we're reading together. He is so sensitive to my needs and what kind of support I need from him during this time apart. I thought we would have to put "us" on hold for these nine months, but he has shown me that that couldn't be further from the truth. I attribute the uncharacteristic strength I have had to handle this deployment mostly to God (because it's honestly inexplicable), but also to that sweet husband of mine.

Brian took this picture specifically to "send flowers" to me. He said everyone made fun of him; poor guy!
See? Ridiculously sweet.

The funny thing is, the more Brian goes out of his way to take care of and encourage me, the more I want to do the same for him. One small way I've been doing this has been through care packages; I decided early on that I wanted to send Brian one themed package a month. There aren't many ways I can take care of him from halfway across the world, but I can at least send him something that will make him smile and remind him of how much I love him.

  

I love going out and finding little things to send Brian throughout the month (even though getting ideas from him is basically like pulling teeth), and spending time in the evenings decorating the boxes. I've been attaching all of the pictures with double-sided tape, and he takes them off and puts them in a journal he's been keeping. The first time he opened one of my care packages, he said "it was like love shined out of it," which was exactly the reaction I was hoping for. Getting mail is definitely a bright spot for him, and I'm glad I can spend time and effort on something that brings him at least a little bit of joy.

It's hard to believe four months have already passed since the last time I saw my husband. And, if things go as planned, I only have four more care packages to plan and ship out to him before he is packing up to come home to me! I can't wait.