It's not easy for a husband and father to deploy for an extended period of time. This is going to be my seventh deployment, fourth since Mirna and I have been married, and my second one since Chris was born. You would think that with all these under my belt, I'd be ready to rock and roll. Think again. While I've got all my training done, medical and dental squared away, and only have packing left to do, I am not emotionally ready. My family needs me. It's going to be difficult to say goodbye to them. Hopefully, I'll be able to hold it together as we hug one last time at the airport.
Thankfully, we'll have email, the phone, and Skype to keep us connected. I remember having to buy or reload calling cards and waiting to get to a port to make a phone call. Or how about writing an email and clicking the send button only to find out that we lost connectivity due to a course change. Same thing with phone calls while underway.
My last deployment showed me just how valuable a tool Skype is. Mirna's a very busy woman but it was great to be able to carve out a chunk of time to see her and Chris, at least for a little while.
Things I will miss while I'm gone:
- Mirna and Chris' birthdays
- Opening presents on Christmas morning
- New Year's kisses
- Dropping off and picking up Chris at school
- Being greeted at the door by our dogs
- Singing with Chris at night before bedtime
- Hearing "Papi, how do people make.."
