Memory Lane Monday

This trip down memory lane isn't exactly Marine Corps related but it kind of is at the same time...

(This is from another awesome event our FRO threw- Halloween party with Mark in the middle!)

I was at our battalion sponsored "Spa Night" last month- it was awesome, we truly have the best Family Readiness program in the Marine Corps! I have never heard of another Family Readiness Officer who is as awesome as our FRO is, he just cant be beat!! Anyway, at the spa night- he got 3 massage therapists who did 15 minute massages, 2 ladies to do mini manicures, 2 ladies who gave foot massages and did some reflexology, and Mary Kay consultants who did make up classes with us.  We also had tons of fruit veggie, and deli trays to snack on.  Oh and he provided free childcare for the event.  It was so amazing, we are so spoiled!! 


Anyway, as my massage was finishing up (it was awesome), for the last minute or two she gave me a head massage.  After I got up, I walked back over to my friends and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirrored-wall that I was walking by.  My already messy pony tail was a disaster- I looked rough! I reached my arms up to grab the hair tie and re-do my ponytail quickly when the memory hit me:

When I was in my car accident last year, it happened to be the day that Kale had duty.  So after spending most of the 7 hours in the ER- alone (Kale was allowed to come for an hour, a whole hour...gee thanks Marine Corps), I arrived back at our house-alone, I let the puppies out and fed them- alone, I struggled to get into bed- alone, I laid down and stared at the ceiling because the pain was too much to sleep-alone, once morning (5:00 am, thanks to the puppies) came and I could barely move my upper body I had to get out of bed- alone.  See a pattern?


8am rolls around and I was trying my hardest to get ready to do my final presentations as a undergrad student.  We needed to be in "professional attire" and were told to wear our suits.  The presentation was about my experiences during my student teaching and it was in front of my advisers, classmates, and students who would be student teaching within the next year.  It was a 15 minute presentation then 5 minutes for question and answers. I slowly, and painfully got dressed.  I suffered through putting make-up on before I decided to just throw in the towel on looking pretty.  As I stepped back from the mirror, I saw the train wreck that was my hair!


It was a mess- my car accident happened around noon the day before and when it happened, my hair was in a nice and neat ponytail. Between the ER doctor feeling around the back of my head, the X-Ray tech putting my head in super awkward positions to take different shots of my neck, and my restless sleep, my once nice ponytail looked like I had just stood outside as a tornado passed right by.


I went to reach up to undo it so I could fix it and right as my arm began to reach up at all past my forehead, I got a sharp pain that radiated throughout my neck and shoulders.  Tears from the pain instantly filled my eyes from the pain but I had to do something- I couldn't present like THIS! I reached up again, this time slower hoping to avoid the shooting pain but wasn't so lucky, same result! Now not only are tears filling my eyes from the pain, but they are flowing down my face from the frustration.  


Just as I am about to call my friend to come over to brush my hair, I hear the door open.  

It was Kale! He came home with a lovely bouquet of flowers and walks over to me realizing that I'm crying.  I explain my frustration with my hair and the pain and even just explaining it to him makes me start sobbing even more.He finds it funny that I'm full blown sobbing because of a ponytail but without even saying a word he grabs the brush, lets down my hair, brushes it, and pulls it back into a ponytail.  


Was it a good ponytail? No way- it looked awful.  Was it exactly what I needed at the time? Absolutely.  For the first time in nearly 24 hours, I didn't feel alone, he reminded me that he will always be there for me when I need him most just by putting my hair up for me!


Seeing my hair at the Spa night sent me back to that morning.  Small reminders of the way he shows his love brightens my day.  My husband may be gone often, but he is doing what he is needed.  He is doing what is needed of him, of his country, and for our freedom- including the freedom to have the perfect messy ponytail.