Children of War

There are countless studies of the effects of war on children.
Well, I've got five and while they are not perfect and while they miss their Daddy in many ways and while I see many ways that they need their Daddy that they are not even aware of ... they are still thriving.

In the last ten years that we've been an active part of war, we've added three children to our family; we've moved four times and are getting ready to do it once more; I've never gone back home to live with family ... in fact I've lived the closest to family the last three years, yet in those years my Mom has been diagnosed with cancer and my parent's house had to be rebuilt from a tornado partially destroying it ... so there went my "support group" (not to mention the post my husband was assigned to closed, and he was reassigned to another unit for this deployment several states away from us, so no support from being in a military town or near a unit either).  So it's just been us, mostly, the girls and me, war and a whole bunch of other stress.

My point?  Well, I'm sort of making it to myself as much as I am to you ...

I have this insane desire to clean my house like we're clearing quarters when I've got a lot on my mind.  Today was one of those days and while the idea was a great one around 2, by 7 it was getting pretty old.  I had bathed the girls and as a last act was just finishing up picking up the bathroom before I headed upstairs to brush teeth and read stories.  When I walked upstairs, I saw this ...

My sweet girls ... curled up together just being sweet.  Not a huge thing, but it struck me that this happens a lot ... my Patterson who is always (bless her heart) getting into trouble for something or another, often decides to read to her little sisters when I'm not upstairs right away.  I never have to ask her.  She just does it.  And reading would be one of the last things that I would say was an attribute of hers.  So it caught my attention tonight.  It's been ten months since their Daddy left us.  We've got a lot more to go ... but they are doing just fine.  They have just one parent, no support group, no government program to help them cope ... yet, they are living life and carrying on.  Everyday they wake up; some days in better moods than others; some days excited about school, some days dreading it; some days they are little angels, others they are slightly less:); some days they eat their dinner and others they just push it around on their plate.  They are kids and while they miss their Daddy, they don't sit around dwelling on it.  They miss him on Birthdays and at Christmas plays, Doughnuts with Dads and Parent Watch week ... but they always wake up each day with the last one behind them.  Yes, deployment stinks and war is hard ... but God is bigger and He provides.  There are a lot of very tough moments, but there are a lot of good ones, too.

There are so many statistics out there for all kinds of things, but I hope that I (and you) will remember where hope is found.  Even when the odds are against you, blessings can abound!

My sweet girls ... children of war ... they are the strongest little warriors I know and God teaches me so much through them every single day.

To God be the Glory.