Each year, November is designated as National Military Families Month.
It’s appropriate that during this special month we give thanks for what we have and hold dear-the blessings of freedom secured for us by our service members and their families. Each day, they make sacrifices for their loved ones and their country. They have answered their Call of Duty and as Nation, we must answer ours and serve them as well as they have served us.
We pay tribute to and thank our military families for their service and we recognize the extraordinary ways in which they give of themselves for us all. Military families know what it means to serve. Every day, they get up and support their service member, standing by during long training and deployments. They know the risks, but accept this life of service anyway. They know service is an honor. They are the backbone of the military family.
~Honored to be a Military Mom to some selfless, dedicated, Home Front Heroes and Soldiers. ~
It’s never easy when a soldier has to leave their family behind to support our country during a deployment. From births, to birthdays and holidays so much is missed on the home front. Spouses become single parents for the duration of a deployment, having to fill the gap of the absent parent.
It is in those moments that our Home Front Heroes gather up all the strength they can muster, accept the challenges and devote themselves to the mission that is left to them state side. But underneath their tough exteriors, silent screams in the quiet of the night and tears that flood their pillowcases with uncertainties, loneliness and the stress of doing it alone, take over. Sometimes going days,weeks or even months without connection to their soldier, becomes daunting.
These home front heroes never miss a beat though, they make the most of the time apart. I’ve watched first hand, my daughters get involved with deployment programs and groups designed to encourage and support each other at home while caring for their own families as well. They are a band of Home Front Heroes.
It is this time of year when deployments are the hardest, families torn apart during the Holidays, resources limited, soldiers feeling helpless. However, there is a way you can help, honor and encourage our country’s heroes.
- Partner with a group such as, OperationGratitude.com, this group sends care packages to service members. You can also make cards and write encouraging letters to soldiers and or their families.
- Check with your local Churches, Schools and Non-Profit organizations, many of them have programs designed for local military families.
- Reach out to military children. This is also a very difficult transition time for them as well. In the event they’ve been transferred, starting a new school and making new friends is difficult. The absence of one parent is already difficult enough and then to have other lil worries that no child should have to stress over, just adds to the already challenging life situation. If you don’t know of any local military children, you can contact the community relations office at any military base/post, or BlueStarFam.org
- Host a fundraiser or a toy drive and then donate the money or items to organizations set up to serve the military.
I can’t begin to tell you how rewarding and fun it is to send a care package to your soldier. And in return they enjoy receiving them. It’s a little bit of home away from home.
- I encourage you today, to take a moment and thank the Home Front Heroes. The selfless acts and their countless sacrifices they make daily. How often we take this for granted.
- I challenge you to reach out to a military family this Holiday Season and make the Season a little brighter for them.
It’s the least we can do for the most they do!
