The biggest thing I do to cope, is to crawl into the lap of my Jesus at least once a day...sometimes I just sit there...sometimes I whine and complain to Him...sometimes I cry into the folds of His clothes...sometimes I fall asleep there...sometimes I talk...and sometimes I just listen. The comfort of being in His presence is what gets me through each day. Even though my earthly husband isn't here, my heavenly Father fills that void for me.
I do still rely heavily on my earthly husband though. I seek his guidance before making decisions and I rely on his "pep talks" via email. His confidence in me is what makes me push through being tired and stressed and to get the job done. How fortunate I am to have a man beside me that pushes me to do better, but loves me just the way that I am...and could care less if the kids got a bath today.
When I'm craving human contact, I lean on my fellow military wives. We do dinners, play dates, hour-long phone calls, and many many potlucks. They help to fill the void of adult conversation and interaction...they also help to fill in on days when I desperately need a break...or a pap smear.
A lot of days what keeps me going are the sweet faces of my two beautiful children. Even though they can run me ragged, they are so precious to me...and to Josh. And they need me. They need me to hold it together...they need me to make their dinner...and bathe their little bottoms...and remind them that daddy loves them and is coming home soon. So I can "do it" because I have to...because I love my children more than I love even myself.
I also lean pretty heavily on my family...and Josh's family. My mom is the first person I call when I need an opinion on anything, from what to wear all the way to how to deal with potty training. She's my go-to person when Josh is gone. The rest of the family humors me with longer than usual phone calls and skype sessions just for no reason. They help me fill the void when I'm feeling lonely, and who better to do that than the people that have known you the longest.
And that, my friends is how I do it....it's not easy, but then whose life is easy? God can give us all the grace and strength to deal with any situation or circumstance that comes our way.
