Okinawa Blues

The Bad
I have been in a real funk since last week. The day after all of our belongings were packed up and put on a ship, we were informed that our departure date has been changed. No real explanation and no firm departure date. No apology and no offer to help us out. This is why families get out of the military. This is a result of poor leadership, lack of planning, and a lack of concern/compassion for the impact this last minute decision has on us and the two other families who received the same news last week. After all of the hard work Adam and the other two guys have put into this command, it feels like a real slap in the face to be treated so poorly and without any good reason. We are still hoping to arrive in Jacksonville by the end of August (but who really knows?!).

The Sad
In the last few months most of our friends have left the island...either gone back to the States for the summer or moved to a new duty station. This is the sad side of military life. I am already anticipating and starting to dread the fact that I will have to start all over again in building friendships once we arrive in Florida. We will miss the friends we made here in Okinawa and hope that we will be able to stay in touch with e-mail, skype, and phone calls...but still not the same as hanging out at Oura Wan, afternoon playtime on Georgia Loop, or watching Okinawa sunsets together. We were also really sad to say good-bye to my mom when she left on Tuesday. I am sorry she had to be here at such a stressful time, but it was so wonderful to spend time with her and to watch her with Noah and Camille.

The Beautiful
Whenever I think of Okinawa, I always think of all of the amazing shades of blue. I remember my first visit to Okinawa (Aka-jima..small island) over ten years ago and I was awestruck by the intense blue water and vivid blue sky. Despite my current feelings of anger and sadness, we will really miss living in this beautiful place.