Changes

Life with a spouse in the military certainly gears you up for a lot of challenges.  There are the absences while your spouse is in training which prepare you for life as a single parent during the longer absences called "deployment".  There is the constant moving around from city to city, province to province, sometimes country to country, essentially with what appears to be no rhyme or reason.  And rarely do you get the posting you have indicated in your top three.  I think they read your preferred postings and ensure you don't go to these places.  There is also the continuing worry as to the safety of your spouse when he or she is deployed to a country where there is unrest.  I could go on ...

However, there are also benefits.  You get to meet so many people along the way.  Hey, I get a new house at no real cost to me every few years!  We get to experience life in new locales, adapting and changing, making new friends.  The Military Family Resource Centres offer assistance in the form of affordable childcare, fun activities and general support.

Last Saturday night we enjoyed an Evening with Santa where we had turkey dinner and all the trimmings, family photos, crafts, a live children's band, and gifts for the kids from the Big Guy.  It was so enjoyable, and not just because Maaike finally had an encounter with Mr. Kringle that did not include screaming, flailing and crocodile tears!  The food and company were great.  The staff did an awesome job organizing it all and making each of us feel special.  Last month we had a pizza dinner prior to heading out to the Christmas parade.  All at little cost to the families.  Yup, there are bonuses.

The only constant in our lives is change and saying goodbye becomes something we, sadly, become quite good at.  If your friends aren't being posted, then you are.  You learn to shut down a bit, keep a distance, not get too attached so as not to get gravely injured in the process.  However, as any military personnel can tell you, they also have friends they can call on in every province, sometimes every major city, across the country, and some around the world.

Its an eventful life, not for the faint of heart.  And don't get me wrong, I'm anxious to settle down soon, keep Maaike in one place, take up roots and hunker down.  But, until then, I guess the best we can do is go with the flow and remember what will be, will be.