Feeling blessed...

It's strange, but I've never felt so much support than I have this past week. It's so overwhelming that sometimes I don't even know what to say. I'm feeling it more from people here than at home, but I expected that, and it's a big reason why I stayed in Colorado instead of moving home. I know our family and friends care more than they can express in words, and I think it comes down to many of them not knowing what to say. I don't imagine that it's easy to talk to me about Todd being deployed. It seems that most people at home want to tread lightly and not get too deep into the subject, and that's perfectly ok. I sort of expected it. This is a really bad analogy considering our situation, but I liken it to not knowing what to say to people after their loved ones die. I personally never know what to do or say, so how can I expect anyone else to in this situation? All too often people worry about saying the wrong thing, but the most important thing is being there, and I know that our family and friends are more than there for me.

I'm repeating myself, but the support here from my Army family is tremendous, and it helps so very much. There are a lot of us going through this for the first time, and it really helps to be able to sort out what we're feeling together. It's not a big sobfest like people think either, or at least it hasn't been yet. It also helps that I have friends and neighbors who have gone through this before--they offer advice and insight without being pushy, and seem to know when it's appropriate and when I just need space. I'm so thankful for each and every person who has gone out of their way for me this week. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone even though I feel so lonely sometimes in this empty house. For some reason, it surprises me right now that there are several people that I could call if I needed to talk/cry/etc. And these are people that I've known for less than 4 months. I always heard that once I moved here it'd be like having a whole new family, but I never really realized how much until today.