Happy Mothers Day!
This Sunday, moms across the country will be treated to breakfast in bed, homemade cards, bouquets of flowers and fancy dinners in restaurants. But for military mothers who are serving and those mothers who have sons and daughters fighting wars overseas, Mother’s Day won’t be all roses.
The term "Military Mothers" describes two distinct groups of women. On the one hand, it describes mothers whose sons and daughters are members of the military. On the other, it describes mothers who are themselves members of the military.
Though many military mothers have grown used to their children’s absences on Mother’s Day and other special occasions, it doesn’t make those times any easier especially for moms whose sons and daughters are in the line of fire in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Mothers whose children are in the military and deployed to military bases around the world or serving in a war zone far from home, live with daily fear and worry for the lives of those to whom they gave birth, and nurtured into the fine young men and women they are. They worry that those children may return home with missing limbs or with PTSD, and may not be the same person who deployed, or that they may return in a flag-draped casket.
And mothers, who must leave their children behind to go to a war zone far from home, live with daily fear for their own lives because they worry about the possibility that their children may have to grow up without a mother. And they worry about the impact their absence will have on little psyches, and whether that impact will be lasting.
And to the mothers who still wait for news that their POW/MIA is coming home, we bow our heads..
We assure you, all groups are heroes.
And we'd like to wish them, and all the other mothers out there, a Happy Mother's Day!
A Holiday Prayer for Military Families
Remember those at home while their loved ones are deployed during this holiday season.
by Edie Melson
Sometimes it’s easier to think of the military troops who are deployed during the holiday season but not their families. Today, let’s remember those families and lift them up in prayer to the One who can provide the comfort they need:
Dear Lord,
I’m praying for all those who have a loved one on deployment around the globe. I know this time of year can be a challenge, even if the deployment isn’t necessarily in a war zone. Being separated from those we care about is always hard.
I’m asking that you give these families a special peace this holiday season. Give them lots of opportunities to spend time in communication with their loved ones—through whatever means available. Thank you for all the different ways we have now to communicate around the world. Make sure packages and letter arrive in a timely fashion. Keep the digital and telephone lines clear and free from static.
Fill the days with activities to take their minds from the emptiness they feel. Surround them with friends and family who understand their struggles and can support them in ways that provide just what they need. Put people in their lives to be Your hands and feet during this stressful holiday season.
Remind them of the blessings that still surround them. Don’t let them withdraw. Instead help them to take part in the joy of this season.
Most of all, give them tangible proof that You are there with them and with their loved one. Remind them of Your great love and all the ways You watch over the entire family, those at home and deployed.
Amen.
He heals the brokenhearted and bins up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3, NASB)
YOUR SOLDIER, YOUR ARMY: A FAMILY GUIDE ~ by Vicki Cody
If you are reading this book, you probably have a loved one serving in the Army. This is the new and revised edition of my original book, Your Soldier, Your Army—A Parents’ Guide, published in 2005. A lot has changed since then and I, along with the Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare, decided it was time to update the original book.
Download SR-2017-Your-Soldier-Your-Army-A-Family-Guide.pdf (8.55 MB)
Copies of this publication are available free of charge. To order, please e-mail ILWResources@ausa.org and include your name, a shipping address and how many you'd like to order.