Guard Wife's post strikes a chord. Right before my husband leaves, I have this desire to "create memories." I want to get that dream vacation in, take lots of photos and drink the $50 bottle of wine. I do this because deep down I know that it's possible I may not see my husband again. I want memories.
As for my husband, he wants to go about his days in a routine fashion. He prefers a stable, normal environment in those days before deployment. We have competing ideas, but my husband generally gets his way in this situation, as he should. I imagine that my husband savors our routine memories. I'm sure there were many nights in Afghanistan that he said to himself, "Sure wish I was on the sofa right now, watching the Red Sox beat the Yankees, dog curled up next to me and wife in the overstuffed chair banging away on her laptop."
It's interesting to see how differently each person, and each family, handles the dreaded goodbye. And what about the reunion? That's another story altogether....
