Sour Note

wow. I guess I haven't been here in a while. I hate to return on a sour note, but I'm going to.

Have I mentioned lately that I hate the military? Well I do. I hate the lifestyle. I hate that I don't get to live where I've always lived and where I want to live and where no one wears a jacket at the end of May. But I'm not mad about the weather today. I'm mad about the moving.

Today we had a farewell get together. I'd say luncheon, but it was at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Of course we had enough food to call it a luncheon, but that's not the point. The point is that a really great lady (L) that I started out respecting and admiring and ended up respecting, admiring, being great friends with, sharing laughs and more than a few drinks with, and looking to for support in several of life's difficult situations is leaving. Her husband will be permanently changing stations (PCSing) to Virgina next month. I'll see her between now and then, and it was a great time of food and fun and friends, but I left feeling really sad.

Not only will today's guest of honor leave in a month, two of the other guests are PCSing next week. I realized just as the afternoon was coming to a close that I won't see either of them again. This was their last event. I said a tearful goodbye to each of them, bitterness rising in my throat.

I guess this is the definition of bittersweet. I never would have met these fantastic ladies were it not for the military and how it moves people in and out of one another's lives. But I wouldn't have to have that terrible sense of loss each summer (PCS season) when so many move to their next duty station. In addition to these three, there are four others from our close circle leaving in July or August. I'm so grateful that there are five who will remain, and we will invite newcomers in and make a new close circle.

I guess I'm just someone who when I like how things are going, I'd like them to stay that way. Of course, if that were always the case, I guess I'd still be living in Pflugerville, Texas...instead of married to my Soldier husband and living this crazy, wonderful, super crappy, up, down and moving around military life.