Each time my computer background appears, I smile. A photo of vacation fun from three years ago greets me. This photo shows my grandchildren and their parents in the lake behind the boat joking and enjoying time with one another.

Our oldest son just returned from Iraq so we celebrated God’s mercy by spending time together playing and relaxing. His second son was born four days before his deployment over seas so we all loved seeing Zachary. Zach’s mother spent a year trying to cope with her husband’s separation while raising a three year-old son and a newborn all the while wondering about her husband’s well-being and the men the Lord placed under his charge. She lived in Virginia, and we lived in the Midwest. Not living closer to support her frustrated me deeply.

As a mother of a soldier, I drew closer to my heavenly Father. His Son’s separation from Him helped me remember He knew what I felt. Christ’s earthly mother, Mary, also knew that pain and worry.

The toll that separation takes on people is immense. The entire family worries about each loved one involved. The children, though often unable to express how they feel, suffer internally, and sometimes this anxiety manifests itself outwardly. I wonder how many families notice the insecurity and detachment syndrome from a military situation I mention here. Deployment lasts longer these last ten to twenty years. Usually the family travels with them, but not to a war zone. I care about the effects (both long and short-term) might have these past ten years  on our military families. I read the divorce rate climbed to 60% in military families.

I support the troops and all they sacrifice for our country, and I am proud of my son for serving this great nation through the military. But as a Christian who supports the family framework, and an educator, the impact of family separation concerns me deeply.  Are you affected by this situation in any way personally, or indirectly? Please share your thoughts with me on this matter. Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this post.