The military had provided my network for nearly most of my adult and professional life. I had no idea how important my peers, superior officers, and non-commissioned officers were to my success in the military. Leaving the military separated my network and it basically disappeared. Rebuilding my network sounds easy but having no idea what I wanted to do made it very complex.
My family is the reason I came home after the military. In my mind I thought moving closer to my family would help with my transition process. They helped and they supported me with love and understanding. But I was missing a special person in my life. My mom had worked with a young lady for nearly a year. She would tell me things about her, all good things of course. She told me about her smile that can light up a room. Recently out of a bad relationship I thought to myself, “I need some light in my life!” So I asked my mom to get her number. All I wanted to do was talk. Little did I know the impact a text message would make on my life.
A text message turned into a call, then a date, and then a year went by that we had been together. We only knew each other for one year and I new I wanted to marry this beautiful woman. I could feel the warmth from her heart on a daily basis. She made an impact on the person I started to see in myself. I was in a dark place when I met her but she brought me back to seeing the positive things in my life. She added the light that had been lacking for the 4 plus years I had been out. Courtney has been the most important person in my transition. I can lean on her when I am down and I can confide in her when my thoughts race. She has a heart of gold and epitomizes the image of a ranger wife. Shes strong, loyal, and compassionate. Her patience and persistence has allowed me to find the side of me that I wasn’t sure was there.
I will pick back up on other parts of my transition, thanks for reading. God Bless.
Hey Jay! I have a quick question about your blog, could you email me at ewalsh @ mesothelioma.com when you have a chance? Thanks, Emily