EAS, But Not EAS

It’s 6am. I woke up an hour ago. I went to sleep 3 hours ago. My stomach is in knots, and despite being completely exhausted, with a BIG day staring me in the eyes, I don’t think I will be able to get back to sleep. So, at 5, I dragged my butt out of bed, grabbed my camera, and saw my husband off to his last day of the active duty Marine Corps. And yes, I took pictures like a mother seeing her youngest child off to his first day of school. I would be lying if I said there wasn’t at least a hint of tears in my eyes. 

He wasn't enthused...

I never imagined that I would feel this way about Steve getting out of the Marine Corps. Four years ago I was feeding him every reason I could think of about why he shouldn’t join at all. But now I find myself having a hard time letting it go. The impact that this whole experience has had on me is unexplainable. I have changed so much from who I was 4 years ago. It has also benefited our relationship like nothing else could. It has been quite the ride.

Not only has this experienced made me who I am today, and changed my relationship with my husband, but it has also impacted how I feel about all members of the military—in particular, the ones who are currently serving overseas. I am passionate about wanting to help them and support them, and make their time spent away from home less difficult. So, as I am slowly coming to terms with this big change, I have decided to search for programs and organizations that I can become a part of in order to keep active with the armed services. I am VERY excited to see what I can do and I think it’s making this transition a little easier on me.

So, although this is a very emotional day for me, I am going to try to make the most of the new journey I’m starting on. And although it may be the End of Active Service for us, it is nowhere near the End of Active Support.  

**I write my posts in Word first--hence the time difference from when I wrote it to when I actually posted it.