Epilogue--It Seemed Like it Would Never End. And then it Did!

The disclaimer to the right notwithstanding, this final entry entirely represents the views of Husband.  Wife is taking a well-deserved rest after 370 consecutive days of carving time out of her manic routine of balancing a career, caring for three young daughters, and managing a long-distance relationship with her heretofore absentee husband.  In the process she found a voice and an outlet that helped her stay sane and remarkably sanguine for a glass-half-empty-kind-of-a girl.  And while I am quite confident she will never forgive me for running off to Afghanistan, at the same time,  it was Afghanistan that helped her find that voice and I'm just foolish enough to suggest that I should get some credit for creating the scenario that helped her emerge as an established blogger.  365 Bad Days had over 40,000 hits and avid readers on six continents.  Husband will be eternally grateful to friends and readers who supported and sustained Wife.   Husband was humbled over the course of the past 365 days with a new understanding of his own role at home, but also the incredible fortitude and resilience of Wife.  He also now realizes that for every soldier or civilian on the front lines in conflict zones around the world, there are loved ones and families at home making heroic sacrifices.  Certainly in the case of Husband, there is no comparison between the hardships he faced this year and the incredible challenge that wife faced head on and survived.  She represents thousands of spouses in the State Department, the military and other federal agencies whose sacrifices go largely unnoticed, but make it possible for those deployed on the front lines to do what they do.    Wife, you are my hero!

Now husband has to finish packing for his next mission, "Operation Inhaling Freedom: The Great American Road Trip."  Home leave 2013 will be husband and three daughters in a minivan, traveling 7,500 miles across 24 states over the course of 32 days.  Wife will fly out and join us in the middle for the family reunions.  After 100 + hours of "quality family time" in the car, Daughters may be begging Wife to send Husband back to Afghanistan.