I remember the week they got married, and all his friends were coming to be in the wedding, and all her friends were hoping to get their Very Own Marine. Only one managed it, and I think the other Marines got skeered of the crazy Okie chicks and headed back west. Can't blame them, I was frightened, too.
So, as I said, my sister is a badass, because her fiance was away during most of their engagement, and she was very sad, but she held up very well. When they got married and she went away with him, we acted like idiots and cried like we'd never see them again. She handled that pretty well, too. I think my poor brother in law was overwhelmed by us, but the thing is, it was good training for him, because we are an overwhelming bunch of people.
My sister had their first baby while her husband was deployed. I was there, and it was amazing. People were emailing him to give him updates and pictures, and she talked to him on the phone. She had one of the hardest deliveries I have ever seen, and I didn't see her freak out one time.
When my nephew was born, he pretty much looked like a badass, too, but we know he came by that naturally, from both sides of the family. My sister needed some medical attention, and my brother in law actually saw a picture of his son before my sister even got to look at him. We were showing my sister pics we snapped on our cell phones, so both of them saw their son for the first time through pictures.
I was so busy being proud of my sister that it took me until that moment to remember how hard it must be for her husband, on the other side of the globe, not knowing from one minute to the next how things were going in that little hospital room. I haven't ever asked him about that day, but I remember imagining his buddies there with him, waiting for each new update to come through. It must have been a scary thing for him, and I know it was for my sister. (Because they're one of those couples who are in LUUUV, and it's pukingly annoying, but it brings an added concern to situations like this.)
My favorite part of the day (even better than meeting my nephew) was this:
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When I feel down on my life, and I don't like the way things are going, this is where I get my inspiration to keep going. My brother in law and my sister are the two I know best, but they aren't the only ones who spend their lives being brave in the face of trials most of us can't even comprehend -- not because it gets thrown on them, but because they made the decision to sacrifice the easy life in favor of defending our country, our freedoms, and our lives. Sometimes we remember our men who are deployed, less often we remember the family they had to leave at home. And even less often do we think of the poor, poor guys on duty in the middle of the night, who are bored and texting their sisters in law, telling them what to write on their blogs, and awesomely remembering to call their nieces on their birthdays....so tonight, I write this humble post in honor of the bored Marines, as well as the ones who are away. To our troops, wherever they may be tonight, and their families: Thank you.
