Epilogue

 "Not to us, LORD, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness." Ps 115:1

       
"LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness
 You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." Isaish 25:1

                       

                                                    October 28th 2010

Now fast forward 365 days.

October 28th 2011

Addie's window

Grace's window

My window

Zoe's window

Ruby's window

Chris' window

With the Diva's and kid's waiting for our men.

Day Three hundred and sixty-five

WE MADE IT!!!!!!  We are all under one roof!! God is beyond faithful and good!!

God bless and good night!

Day Three hundred and sixty-four

It's the night before my hubby comes home and I am at home surrounded by my beautiful Diva's and all of our kids. Head count=13. It's a slumber party record for the Harmon house. None of us wanted to be alone tonight, so what better way to pass the time away than to be together.

I want to say "Thank you" to everyone who has been praying and reading this blog each day. Part of the reason why I have been able to get to the end of this journey has been because of the prayers said over me, my hubby and our family.

When I started this blog over 364 days ago I didn't know who would ever read it or what I would say everyday. Some days have been better than others, as far as content, attitude, emotion, etc. Thanks for bearing with me throughout this long year. Writing everyday has sometimes been a challenge, but I really have enjoyed the process. I feel like I have grown as a person, as a wife, as a mom, as a friend, and as a child of God.

Tomorrow will be the conclusion to this journey and a start of a new one together. I am excited to have my whole family reunited! I can't wait for my arms to be sore from hugging too much and my lips to be chapped from too much kissing :) 


"For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in All He does." Ps. 33:4

Day Three hundred and sixty-three

Wordless Wednesday~~Here's my motivation to keep me going...48 hours from now we will be all together again.

DayThree hundred and sixy-two

Thankful Tuesday~~

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:15-17

Today I am thankful for:

• God's faithfulness throughout this day, and every other day before this one.
• My amazing Deployment Diva's. These beautiful women have been a total blessing. God knew we needed each other and He made a way for us all to get connected. Only He could have brought this crazy group together! We range in age from twenties to middle-ish thirties. Our years married range from 4 t0 15 years. One of our sweet Diva's got engaged during this deployment. The guy's years in the National Guard range from 2 to almost 18 years. So far, 3 of us have kids. There are 8 kids total~~3-2 year olds, 3-5 year olds, 1-9 year old and 1-11 year old. (yikes! mine account for half of them!) We live in 4 different cities and 2 states. While there are a lot of differences, it's what we have in common that has held us together. We each have someone we love serving our country. We all love to talk, laugh, hug, eat taco's, sing, encourage each other, and spend time together. These women were some of the first to reach out to me when my dad passed away. Each one of them came to his funeral. They took time away from their jobs and their day to come and show me support. They didn't even know him! But that's how we are. We are there for each other. We can vent, cry, and be angry over things. We listen to each other, we encourage each other, we make each other laugh and feel loved. We don't have to explain where we're coming from. We understand. I love you all dearly! This deployment would not have been bearable without you!
• This blog. I had no idea how much blogging each day would help draw me closer to the Lord. As I poured out my heart, God was right there to fill it back up again. I felt like I couldn't write a negative post and just let it be all that I put out there. God was calling me to go against my pessimistic self and search His Word, His heart and His truth to find encouragement. The verses I have posted have been for my own strength, to remind myself what God's Word says about each situation and to help me see things differently. I don't have it all together, but God does. I wish I could explain this better. For some reason, the right words will not come.
• My phenomenal friend, Stacy. Nearly every single morning since Chris has been gone, this precious sister in Christ has sent me a text message to let me know she is praying for me, thinking of me, checking in on me, and sending me virtual (((hugs))). While it may seem simple, these messages have been my life line. The loneliness has not been so lonely because she choose to take the time to love on me with her words. It hasn't just been her texts. She has guided me through some very hard patches. Never once has she been afraid to just let me cry, to admit that she didn't know what to say to help me feel better or to speak the Truth to me when I needed to hear it. Stacy you are a true friend.
• My Mom. Her prayers, her encouraging words and her willingness to help with the girls. Whether it's me calling on her or her calling me to see if she could have them so I could get a break. I'm grateful for the way she has made herself available. My girls are blessed to have you as their one and only Granny! I love you to pieces!!
• The Blair's. Just like my mom, they have gone above and beyond helping me with the girls during the last 12 months. There have been several times that they have had all 4 of my girls over for a slumber party. And not just my 4, they've even invited their 3 grand kids over at the same time. The more the merrier! I can't begin to describe how much they helped me during my dad's illness and death. I grew up living next door to them, so they knew my dad and both his good and bad side. They had an understanding that not many people could have. They were the voice of reason when I wanted to respond purely based on emotion in many many circumstances. They not only open up their hearts, arms, and ears to us; but their home as well. We are welcome any day, anytime.
• God's faithfulness again. Without Him, all of the above reasons I have to be thankful would not exist. He put all of them into motion. Some He started years and years ago. I'm more than humbled by His provision.

Day Three hundred and sixy-one

It's one of those "hurry up and wait" kind of days.

Wait for the day to end. Wait to be told when I would be able to see Chris. Wait for the long night to end so I can wake up and wait some more. It's safe to say that I am tired of waiting. You would think that after 360 days of waiting that these last few days would be easy. Nope! These have been the longest days of the whole deployment!!

 "...while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight." 2 Peter 3:14

Day Three hundred and sixty

Ruby is so proud of her Wordless Book that she earned at school on Friday. Since the beginning of the school year, her class has been memorizing the verse that corresponds with each colored page. Ruby said all 5 verses on her own.

Here are the verses she memorized:

Black: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
Red: "...the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanses us from all sin" 1 John 1:7
White: "...wash me and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7
Gold: "In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2
Green: "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 3:18

Day Three hundred and fifty-nine

I think God is trying to get my attention.

Day Three hundred and fifty-eight

(Kendra, Jill, Elyzabeth, me, JB)

A few words from the Diva's:

Elyzabeth:

  I went into this deployment not knowing how I was going to survive.  Even before Steven left I felt alone and distant from everyone, especially my husband.  I was just trying to get used to life by myself.  I thought I pretty much had to go through this deployment on my own.  Yes, my family and friends would be there but they just wouldn't understand exactly what I was going through.  Then I started hanging out with a few girls from the FRG and/or through friends.  We were all different and unique on our own but put us together, we are soul friends! I wouldn't have been able to make it through this deployment without these girls.  They have kept me sane, uplifted and going strong.  I may have only met these girls a year or less ago but I have felt like I have known them forever.  I am proud to have the Divas tattooed on me!  I love them so much and without them this year would have sucked way worse than it did!!! You, DIVAS, are my SOUL FRIENDS!!!!

Kendra:
  Having gone through one deployment I knew I would need lots of support. I wanted to be a part of the FRG and wanted to be involved so I would be able to meet people who knew what I was going through and could understand all of my little crazy quirks and would really "Get Me". I found all of that and more with these AMAZING 4 women. We truly all bring out the best (and sometimes the worst) in each other! They have all made me feel like I could call them at any hour of the day and they would just sit & talk to me on the phone if I needed them to. What a unique gift I have in their friendships. We have gone through something that has tested our patience, and I think we all found that we were stronger and could handle so much more than we ever thought possible. I thank God for each one of these special women. If every cloud has a silver lining, my Divas were a BIG silver lining. Our year is almost up, but I know I will have these women in my life forever. Love you girls!!

Jill:
  I want to start out by saying I never thought I would be in this place.  A year without my husband but with four amazing women who I couldn't imagine my life without from this point on.  My husband joined the Army just over a year ago after many months of trying to deicide what was right for us.  We knew deployment was inevitable but I also knew this life is something he's wanted his whole life and I wasn't going to hold him back from that so we went for it.  In July of 2010 I was approached with an opportunity to join the FRG and after talking to my husband about it I deicided to go for it in hopes of meeting people who were going through the same feelings I was.  Along the way I met Elyzabeth, Kendra, JB, and Sarah.  We call ourselves the "Deployment Divas".  I never thought I would need a group of girls as much as I have needed and relied on them.  They have made this past year not only bearable but enjoyable.  They will always have a piece of my heart, no matter where the road of life takes us.  You ladies mean more to me than you will ever know.  I love you all, in your own special, crazy way.  I thank God for you every day and I know I always will.  Thank you for being there whenever I've needed you!!! 

JB
I started out in the deployment feeling alone. The truth is I felt alone even before the depoyment started. I think I was mentally preparing myself for a year alone with my two kiddos. Then I was invited to spend the evening at Kendra's house. That night was the turning point of this deployment. I no longer felt alone. I met girls that "got me" and we were in the same boat together. I spent that night with Jill, Kendra, and Elyzabeth. We just clicked, and I have been laughing with these girls ever since. Later, I met Sarah and us girls became known as the "deployment divas". I couldn't imagine the past year without these girls, and I know we'll be friends for life! I thank God for each of you every day, and I'm overjoyed we can finally say that we are almost done with this deployment! We made it girls!!! 

Day Three hundred and fifty-seven

"But in Your great mercy You did not put an end to them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and merciful God." Nehemiah 9:31

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Ps. 51:10

Oh, Lord,
  The last leg of this journey is hard. Time is creeping by so slowly. It's hard for other people to understand how I could feel this way, but You know.
  Lord, I ask that You would help me keep my mind on You and Your promises. Let my thoughts be focused on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable..." (Phil. 4:8)  I desire to finish this journey strong and as a reflection of Your faithfulness and strength. Not for my glory but for Your's alone.
  Father, You know my many short-comings, sins, and failures. You also know what lies within my heart, my desire to obey, to honor, to serve, and to love You above all else. You look beyond my sin and see potential. You see someone You want to love.
   Because of Your death on the cross, I am able to stand before You sanctified. You took my sin upon Yourself so that I would be able to have a relationship with You for eternity.
   Lord, keep wooing me. Keep drawing me to a closer walk with You. Keep growing and changing me into the Sarah You created me to be. 
   In Your precious name, Amen 

Day Three hundred and fifty-six

Wordless Wednesday~~

Here's the text I got this morning from my man.

He is on U.S. soil!!!!

A reenactment of the smile on my face when I

read the message. (Ok, I don't look so hot.)

Day Three hundred and fifty-five

Thankful Tuesday~~

"Give thanks to Him who led His people through the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever." Ps. 136:16

Today I am thankful for:

• No fighting in the van ALL the way home from school!
• Friends who speak the TRUTH into me.
• Pandora radio~~especially the Chris Tomlin and Golden Oldies channel.
• The History channel.
• The card game Speed~~especially with Elyzabeth (yesterday) and Jen (from many many years ago)
• Only 2 more nights to go until "Diva Dinner Night"!
• "Truth trumps emotions"

Day Three hundred and fifty-four

The last 2 weeks Sunday sermons have been really amazing. So many good things I need to chew on, meditate on and absorb. Maybe by sharing them with others their roots can begin to grow deeper in me.

~~God's kingdom is not about establishing a New World Order but bringing about a new order to your world!

~~Is it obvious by my priorities, my actions and my way of life who my King is?

~~God's kingdom is about Action. About changing lives inside-out.

~~A revelation of God's love leads to a revolution in your heart.

~~Religion gives us the assurance of going to heaven without having to pay the cost of dying to self.

~~Truth needs action.

~~Jesus came to change the situation of my heart, not the situation of the world. He came to change my life, so I, in turn can change my world.

~~Holy abandenment leads to WHOLENESS.

~~To the degree I engage God's Word, I make a difference in this world.

~~There are 2 things I need to do daily to stay engaged in God's Word....1. Repent 2. Obey

~~I am responsible to respond to the parts of the Word that I understand.

~~God is not looking for fans. He wants Followers.

~~There is a cost to going deeper, but it is worth the return.

~~Don't just be pleased. Be changed!

~~You can't grow in Christ AND hang on to the clutter of your life.

~~It's not about how perfect I am, but how open I am.

Day Three hundred and fifty-three

Wienie Roast with the Percival, Kroll, and Work families~~This is hopefully the LAST fun get together we have to do without Chris being home.

"Chris" roasting a hot dog over an open fire.

Kennedy and Addie roasting marshmallows.

Knox getting his marshmallow's golden brown.

MMMM...perfect.

Eden and Zoe. Getting them both to look at

me and smile at the same time was impossible.

"Chris" is so helpful. "He" holds

all of our stuff without complaining.

Just climbing a tree.

Hangin'

Tractor ride for "Chris".

Addie, Knox, Ruby, Kennedy, Thad and Grace

"Daddy's" girls. Well, 3 out of 4 anyway.

Grace and Knox

Thad stealing Barry's/Dad's hat.

I guess Thad thought "Chris" looked

a little cold.  Sorry babe.

Eating marshmallows and swinging.

She has mastered multitasking.

Sugar!!!!

Friends make swinging more fun.

I LOVE this face!!

Zoe and "Daddy" enjoying Thaddy's birthday

treats.

Day Three hundred and fifty-two

Pumpkin Patch with Papa John, Grammy, Ted, Leah, Alyssa, Corbin and Keylee~~