But I didn’t realize how homesick I was until we came back to the last place we called “home.” I knew that I missed the ocean. I knew that I missed real sweet tea and any form of humidity in the air. And I definitely knew that I missed the wonderful people. I did not, however, expect to miss the feel of Eastern NC.
It became clear when we arrived at Camp Lejeune. We are currently stationed on an Army post as part of a small detachment of Marines there. We have had nothing but great experiences and have been welcomed into the Army family with open arms. But it just feels different. When we passed through the gates and my husband greeted the MP with “Good afternoon, Marine,” I could feel a sense of pride.
As we arrived at the beach house and stepped out onto the balcony for the first time, I could feel the beauty of the view that was in front of me. When we visited Cherry Point, I could feel the sound of freedom as the helicopters flew overhead. When I hugged the necks of long time friends, I could feel the memories we had created.
We were blessed to have our parents join us for this vacation, and I know that added to the feeling of “home.” As more distance is put between us, it’s even more challenging to spend long periods of time with our parents and to have the opportunity for our girls to enjoy quality time with them. On our first night, we got a call that my husband’s father (in Alabama) had passed away. Even though we were aware he was not in great health, the gravity of losing a parent was a shock.
With my mom and dad, his mother and stepfather all sharing vacation time with us, we were suddenly hit with the reality that life is moving on, parents are getting older, roles are changing. I felt a sense of desperation to grab a hold of family and “home.”
But where IS “home” for this military family? Is “home” the place I grew up, or the place my husband was raised? Is “home” the first house we lived in as a married couple, or the last place movers delivered our household goods? Is “home” the town where our first daughter was born, or the place we just gave birth to our new baby girl? Is “home” where our blood relatives reside, or where our extensive military family lays their head at night?
