5 Ways to Show your Loved One you Care While They’re Stationed Away from Home

 

Hi there everyone! Famous Ashley Grant here, taking over the Brass Peace blog to share a special post with you. HUGE thanks to Michael for giving me the opportunity to write a little something for his home on the interwebs.

 

My sister in law has been in the Navy for three years now, and for two and a half of those years she has been stationed away from home in Japan. Yeah – LOTS of miles away from home. I got so used to being able to just drive 45 minutes any time I wanted to see her or hangout with her and now it requires a passport and 24 plus hours of travel. Still, my husband and I have been trying to make sure we show our love for her while she’s away from home. I thought it might be nice to share some of my ideas with you in case you too are looking for ways to show your loved one you still care even though they aren’t at home.

 

 

  • 1.  If they are on social media, send them a direct message of love – Bonus points if you add video. They haven’t heard your voice in a while – say something nice and show them your face!
  • 2.  Schedule Skype calls often (and do it on video!) – It can get darn lonely being away from everyone and everything they know and love. Not everyone in the military makes friends fast, and many keep to themselves. Scheduling Skype calls gives them something to look forward to, and helps them stay connected to home.
  • 3.  Create two copies of a paper countdown calendar of the next time you will be together, and mail them one – Include a note that says you have a countdown calendar of your own, and that you can’t wait until you’re together again. Add stickers, pictures, and quotes and all kinds of sweet stuffs to the calendar! It’s a sweet daily reminder that you love them and are looking forward to seeing them in the future.
  • 4.  Write them a HANDWRITTEN letter – I confess I’ve been BAD about this one, but there is something extra special about a handwritten note. Be sure to include pictures in your envelope. Not sure what to say?

 

      • Write a few jokes in there
      • Tell them an update that wasn’t posted on Facebook (more special that way)
      • Write a memory that you have with them
      • Mention that you are proud of them, and acknowledge that you understand how hard it is to be apart. But also reassure them that you look forward to being together again in the near future.
      • Tell them you love them and that you can’t wait to see them again soon.
      • Mike wrote a goood post here about what he suggests writing the troops

 

  • 5.  Send them a care package that SCREAMS home – For Halloween this year my sis-in-law wanted Candy Corn. Why? Because apparently she couldn’t find it anywhere in Japan. So we sent her a huge box filled with it and several other Halloween candies to remind her of home. We did this for Christmas one year too and filled it with candy and treats she couldn’t get in Japan. Not only did it warm her heart, it saved her from having to buy anything from the shops at her base for a little while.
  • I’ve seen some really cute ideas for care packages that scream home on Pinterest. One example was to fill it with their favorite foods and a drink mix they could just add to their water that they didn’t have easy access to. Another was filled with toiletries that they could only buy at home. The cutest that I saw though was a “box of sunshine.” This particular military soldier was stationed somewhere that was much colder than he was used to, so his wife created a box of sunshine filled with yellow candies, a yellow deck of cards, and other silly novelty items. She also put a picture of them in the box in you guessed it – a sunshine frame.

 

    • Want to send them something, but feel you have no creativity? Send them a gift via Amazon. Most military bases offer US shipping rates on Amazon even if the person you are mailing is out of the country. We’ve sent a few things to my sis-in-law in Japan and they still shipped FREE via Amazon prime. Loving and free? That’s a win-win right there!

 

Remember, as much as you miss them, it’s even harder on them being away. They love you, but they also love their country and joined the military because they wanted to do all they can to protect and serve. Things like the ideas mentioned above might seem simple, however they can make all the difference in the world when it comes to keeping up their morale, and their sanity. It’s easy to show them you love them, so if you haven’t reached out in awhile, I encourage you to do so today!

 

If you need any assistance with sending your Troop something, visit How to Send Packages and Letters to Troops.