Last month I was chatting with a few other families while waiting oh so patiently to see my husband’s unit get home.  Two sets of parents, both whose sons were returning from their first deployments, asked me if deployments ever get easier.  I smiled a bit and responded “unfortunately no”.   

It never gets easier to say goodbye when your loved one is leaving.  It never gets easier adjusting to living on your own.  It never gets easier dealing with life’s trials and tribulations.  You never stop worrying until your loved one arrives on US soil. 

However, I can say that once you have been through the process a few times (my husband and I have been through four deployments), you do know what to expect, which is basically the unexpected.  You learn to be flexible with deployment leave and return dates.  You learn to rely on friends, family and neighbors to help you with everything from broken appliances to lending an ear when you need to share your frustrations.  You learn not to get upset with you loved one because he or she sometimes shares news that you didn’t want to hear. 

Most importantly, you learn that while it is hard to be away from your loved one, you prove to yourself that you can get through the deployment.  And most of the time, learn something about yourself and your loved one in the process that make you better people individually and as a couple.