Father's Day Everyday

Today I took the kids to Target (again!) to pick out a Father's Day gift for my husband.

Shopping for a Father's Day gift for a Dad who will be leaving on Father's Day is not so much fun. On Sunday morning, before the sun comes up, we’ll be dropping my husband off at the airport and saying goodbye until Spring.

It’s not like we can give him something to take with him as his packing options are limited. And who wants to give someone a present they have to leave at home and not see for months and months?

So I decided that we would fill up one small sandwich bag with things Daddy might enjoy having on his flight, like gum and a snack. Each kid picked out a card and at the last second we decided to buy him a DVD he’s wanted to see. He can watch that on his laptop and then ship it back to us when he arrives at this destination.

Holidays are funny things when a member of you family is deployed. I remember that on his last deployment when he missed my birthday, Mother's Day, our anniversary and so many more he told me, “When I get back, we’ll celebrate every day we've missed together.

But it’s not the same and you start to see holidays differently. Now, to me a holiday is just a day on a calendar. There’s no reason why we have to be tied to celebrating something on a specific day. I've lowered my expectations too. Now a handmade card from my kids can mean more than anything else.

So he’ll miss Father's Day, and Thanksgiving, and my son’s birthday, and Christmas and who knows what else. Who cares? He’s still out there, somewhere, existing and being the best father and husband he can be.

It makes you realize that every day is special. Just like him.