A Season of Goodbyes! ~ Life with the Lokeys

It’s that time of year again when a lot of military families move from one duty station to the next. My boys and I lost several of the friends we made over the last year and we will miss them dearly. One of those friends was my next door neighbor, Erica!

Before moving to Okinawa, I was so nervous about what kind of house I was going to get. I know that sounds crazy, but we had been living in the wide open country for the last 8 years with a lot of land for my boys to run around on. I knew coming to Okinawa we would be in a small townhouse connected to other townhouses. I was so stressed out about it, but one day I put everything in God’s hands. I remember accepting my situation and praying that God would bring me the best neighbors. We went to the housing office on base, which is where they assign your house to you. You only get 2 choices to pick from and that will be your home for the next 3 years. There were 3 open units in the building we were assigned to. We really wanted the end unit because you have the most privacy in the row of houses, but the housing office said it was just accepted by someone the day before. I was a little sad, but what I would learn later is that God had placed that neighbor I prayed for in that unit.

It was an extremely hot and humid day in July of last year when I met Erica! We were both taking out our trash cans and we introduced ourselves to each other. We ended up talking forever about the stressful move we had both just made overseas. How her household goods still were not here after more than 2 months. How half of my household goods was on one boat and the other half was put on another boat. How I almost died trying to drive on the opposite side of the road. How our children are coping with another move and making friends. This would be just the beginning of a friendship that will last a lifetime. There is something special about military wives. I have so many of these special friendships in my life. Some were made when we were all young and just starting this military life. Some that I have walked miles around Camp Lejeune with a baby stroller while our husbands were all gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. Some that had husbands that were injured and trying to deal with this tragedy that changed their lives. Some that had to comfort other wives when they lost their husband. And some that made this move overseas a lot easier than I ever expected.

We would usually drop by to borrow something or be taking out our trash and end up talking for hours. She is one of those friends that just listens and always knows the right thing to say. There is something about sharing the ups and downs of military life with someone that completely understands. I will always be thankful for all our lunches and trips to the gift shops on base. I’m so excited for you and your sweet family for the new adventures you will have. I pray that one day we may be stationed together again!!

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