Last month after a special lunch with my Dad, my daughter and my son-in-law, I got the surprise of my life.
My daughter Megan and son-in-law, Rich are both active duty service members. Both in the Navy. Both stationed at NAS, Jacksonville. Two days after this surprise announcement, Rich deployed to Japan for six months. It's unclear if he will be back in time for the birth of their first baby, but we are forever hopeful.
My dad, pictured with Megan, is retired Navy. He is a retired Chief Petty Officer.
Megan's dad, as you may know from my previous posts, is a retired Marine. A retired Gunnery Sergeant. His response to this news, long distance from our home at Evansridge, was to tell Megan, whatever she craved, to let him know, he would eat what she eats. That is something I may have to document going forward.
We are a long distant family. I have been a long distance grandmother since my first granddaughter was born almost nineteen years ago. Megan's siblings and Rich's siblings all live away in California and Texas. Their baby will be our sixth grandchild. We are a military family. We all understand active duty life, dependent life, and retired military life. We understand that Megan will be managing her job and her pregnancy on her own, with the support of family and friends. She and Rich are fortunate to have access via video calls so that she can share her visits to the doctor. They are not the first to deal with these circumstances and they certainly will not be the last. They are not unique in the world of military service. They are only unique to us.