Flexibility

So a few days ago,

I put on my facebook status

a few lines of a converstaion

I had with Brendell.

She had been looking through a book

with pictures of snakes and worms in it.

She asked her dad,

"What is the most flexible thing in the world?"

Knowing she was looking at books with animals in it,

David said, "Probably a worm."

I laughed and said,

"Bren, the most flexible thing

in the whole wide world

is a Navy wife!"

I am a mentor in a group called COMPASS.

We mentor young navy wives

and provide information, resources, friendship

and "been there" stories for those

just beginning to navigate this crazy life.

One of our visual aids is a stretchy figurine of popeye.

We'll hold him and bend his legs back,

twist his arms around and contort him

into impossible positions

to emphasize the fact that we always need to

keep an open mind, an open heart,

and an openess to change.

Flexibility.

It's the number one quality

that gets us through

with the maximum amount of sanity.

This week I am popeye.

I am bending and contorting my plans.

About 10 days ago talk began about us transfering early.

There are several reasons for this and

there are lots of pros and cons to

going ahead with it.

David's career may or may not be affected by it.

We'll have to wait and see what happens over the next few years.

He will have to work a little harder to make up for

what he didn't get here,

but he's no stranger to hard work

and I think he really enjoys the challenge of beating the odds

and coming out on top.

He's done it on numerous occassions

so I have much faith that he can do it again.

Given the stresses in our family,

moving,

although it might be the harder road career wise,

is the only choice David felt right about making.

I respect him so much for choosing family

over chasing the dollar.

I am so proud of how far my husband

has come since enlisting

as a baby faced seaman.

He's now a commissioned officer

with so many honors and accomplishments.

He has done well....more than well

in his naval career

and while this choice certainly doesn't end his chances

of continuing to make rank,

it does present some new challenges.

We weighed all of this when making our choice

and family tipped the scales.

After coming off of 10 years of sea duty,

his presence in our home over the next three years

is going to be invaluable as our sons transition

into adult manhood.

The fact that we were given this choice

at this time in our lives is such a gift.

And so,

my flexibility comes into play again

as we speed up our time table

and prepare to make another cross country move in the

very near future!

We still don't have an exact move date,

but we do have a destination.

David will be working at the

Office of Naval Intelligence

in Suitland, MD.

So, Bren,

like I said before,

I bet I can out stretch a silly old worm any day!