There’s something unique about the military experience here in Okinawa. As in all places you are normally far away from family and those you know and love, however, unlike stateside duty stations you can’t just pack up the car for a weekend or few days away to go and see them and reconnect. Well, you can, but it’ll cost you about $2000 per person to do that!!
That’s where your neighbors and fellow military families become your own family. We celebrate birthdays, births, holidays and triumphs together; along with crying about yet another deployment, illnesses and deaths in families and just general malaise some days.
I was so extremely fortunate to find my “Oki family” not long after I got on the island. They get me and love my family just as I get them and love their family as my own. What I love most is that in spite of my quirks and weirdness they love me anyway and probably because of it! I see them every day and when next summer rolls around and we start losing some of our family I will miss them so very much every day.
We’ve gone through a tough time recently where our integrity and intentions were questioned and challenged. We all began questioning ourselves and cried many tears over it. In the end we came to realize that the interpretation of our actions by someone rather toxic is actually not how each of us is perceived by our extended friends and acquaintances. So the downside of finding your military Oki family is that in this close community of military wives there is always going to be talk and occasionally some drama! I’m practicing “letting it go” and “taking the high road”. So far, so good!
And today this family rejoiced with me as my girls went off to school, my oldest starting middle school, and came home declaring their love for school! It’s like their very own aunts and uncles congratulating them on the start of a successful year! Love them all for that!
Thank you for stopping by!
