Thoughts of a Military Child: Tomorrow Is A Big Day

Tomorrow Is A Big Day

- Hi!  My name is Michael and this is my sister, Nicole. 

- Our Daddy is in the Navy.  With his job, he goes deep under water in a special boat called a submarine, and I think that something big is going to be happening soon.  He has been telling us that he will have to go away for a while, but that he loves us soooooo much and he will be home as soon as possible. 

- When Daddy is getting ready to leave, we help him pack his bag.  I get his pillowcase, decorated by me.  Hollyann gets his towel with our handprints all over it, and Mommy hands him a box that he can’t open until much later. 

- Once that is done, he reads to us from our favorite book, gives us our kisses, and sends us off to bed.  Tomorrow will be a big day for us all. 

- Early the next morning we take Daddy down to the pier and say our good-byes.  We are all very sad, but we know that it won’t be that long until we get a phone call from him … or maybe even a postcard.  Those are the best!  That is when we get to see the things that Daddy has told us about from the far away lands that he visits.  Sometimes he even brings us back special presents with strange writing on them! 

- When he is gone, we miss him very much.  But Mommy does her best to keep us all busy.  We take trips to the zoo, to different and fun parks, and even on long trips that take all day in the car to see Grandma and Pap!  Sometimes they get to come to visit us.

 - We are always doing special things for Daddy while he is gone.  We draw pictures that say “I love you” on them.  We use the camera and take pictures so he can see how we are growing.  Sometimes we even buy special candy and treats to mail to him in a care package!

 - At bedtime every night, we miss him terribly.  That is why he and Mommy came up with this idea to do, to show that we still love him, even though we cannot see him …

 On the day that Mommy calls “Half-Way Day,” she helps us make us a paper chain that counts down the days until Daddy is home.  Then every night, we rip off a piece of the chain.  Then, on our way up the stairs to bed, we give a picture of Daddy a big kiss goodnight.  It always makes us feel a little better.

 - After we have done all of that stuff…the visiting, the playing, and the waiting for the phone calls…the biggest day of them all is here!

 What day is that?

 - Well, it is a day that takes a lot to get ready for.  Mommy buys a huge bed sheet, and we get to paint “WELCOME HOME DADDY” on it!  We make the house all fancy and clean, and make sure that we have some of Daddy’s favorite snacks.  Then, on that special day…

 - We go back to the pier where we dropped him off all those months ago.   Why?  Because…

 - DADDY IS HOME!!!!!!!!

We all run to him and give him big hugs and lots and lots of kisses!  When we get him home, he is so happy to see all of the signs, that he hugs us all over again.  Then we get to help him unpack his bag…my favorite part!  He hands us our treats and we take turns telling stories of what we have done while he was away.

- That night, when bedtimes comes again, he reads to us from our favorite book, gives us our kisses, and sends us off to bed.  Tomorrow will be a big day for us all.

And why is that?

- Because Daddy is home.

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(each “dash” shows where I had a page for the kids to illustrate the story for me)