Reminders

It is ridiculous how silly military uniforms look.  Micah had his first real dining in with his training unit last night and had to wear his ASU's, which are the dressy blue ones.  On the hanger this uniform just looks weird.  The pants are royal blue with this yellow stripe down the side, the jacket is a really dark navy blue, and they complete it with a white shirt, a black bow tie, and the floppy black beret.  Yet somehow when he puts this uniform on he is this handsome soldier that commands my attention and affection. 
It is also pretty amusing to see these put together spiffed up soldiers hanging out together after hours.  They go from brave defenders of our country to ten year old boys laughing so hard that they cry.  After Micah's event ended, a whole bunch of them (and me) went to hang out in one of their rooms.  It's really interesting to watch them interact and also really interesting to see the different kinds of people that end up together.  Some were the successful kids in school, some were the trouble makers, some were just average.  Most are single and out to have a wild time, some are in a relationship but still like to have a wild time, some are married but for all intensive purposes are single, and some are married and missing their significant other. 
When we finally got to bed last night I was just really thankful.  As much as the military can separate me from my husband, at this point I am blessed to be able to be involved in his work world.  Sometimes that means something as simple as meeting the people he's referring to in his stories.  Sometimes that means being able to see who he is to them.
I can't put into words how thankful I am to know that the man I see at home is the same man that they see.  He is respectable and respected in both realms.  Besides recognizing that he is good at what he does, it is obvious that they all respect who he is. 
One of the things I love about Micah is how easy he is to talk to.  He really cares about people, and that is really apparent.  Alot of the guys open up to him, but one of the guys in particular talked to Micah about his marriage.  It's such a sad situation but reminded me how lucky I am.  This guy has been married for years, has a three year old daughter, and his wife has decided that she doesn't want to go through the military thing.  Now I understand on some level how she could feel this way, although I can't imagine telling my daughter that her dad isn't around because I didn't want to try.  The military has a way of making you have to function sometimes as a married person and sometimes as a single person.  It's tough to navigate, and I can imagine it would be tons more difficult as a mom.  Hearing about the situation reminded me that Micah is not ultimately the one I trust, and not ultimately the one I look to for joy and fulfillment.  It is a daily challenge to remind myself of this truth, but I know it is a truth that I can trust to guide my life.  I can devote myself fully to being one with Micah but know that either in a tempoary or permanent time apart I can trust that my God has a plan for me and will be my joy and fulfillment.  These spouses that don't have the promise of Christ feel like they must live separately, and yet also be one with someone else.
Sometimes God reminds me of the alternative to a relationship with him, and I was so thankful for the reminder.  I just hope that as we go forward Micah and I can be an example of the joy and fulfillment Christ brings, especially through our marriage.