happy sad
Saturday morning, while rocking the twins as they dream fed at 4am, I couldn’t help but reminisce on where our family was this time just last year.
We’ve all been having BIG emotions lately. We’ve been having tough conversations, sharing in beautiful memories and calling and messaging old friends from Guam a lot more. While it’s never easy to say, we all miss Guam (shocker!).
What started as a family discussion of how it’s okay to be what Azai’s coined “a happy sad,” we couldn’t dwell there too long because we were quickly reminded of the blessings that came from that small slice of Heaven.
Our family was forced to learn to depend on each other. We built a SOLID military community which quickly turned into family. We lived with only what was comfortable. We gave to those in need more frequently. We were forced to slow down, to notice and appreciate the littlest of details. We connected with nature instead of always being in such a haste. Communing with God and each other was easy.
Myer & I came out of the conversation agreeing to “get back” to some of our Guam ways. We picked up the phone and called some of Azai’s Guam friends. We read “Mrs. Coco’s Lemon Trees.” We made cookies and went through old pictures, then we slowed down enough to thank God for blessing us with these healthy twins, who are safely here with us. Our time on Guam ended much earlier than we thought it would’ve, but it was clear our job there was done. We’d learned what we needed and had to move quickly.
What began as an assignment that we didn’t want turned into a DOUBLE BLESSING from the Lord.
As a military family we’re used to new assignments. We grow accustomed to moving. We get good at meeting new friends and making connections with those in similar life positions as we are. What we’re not always good at is acknowledging our emotions.
We learn compartmentalization. We force ourselves to only deal with the here and now. Allowing ourselves to “feel” a lot of times brings on a sadness that can be hard to get out of. We should work to change that narrative. Take the time to acknowledge those hard emotions. Life changes too quickly not to.
-Mama Shark
