Homesickness...

Homesickness is that ever-lurking feeling that takes us all captive at some point in our lives.  It is that intense feeling of melancholy and longing for a place or state of mind different from our current circumstance.  At times, homesickness might sneak up on us--hearing a song from our childhood, catching a glimpse of a current family picture in which we aren't included, or meeting someone new that reminds us of a loved one.  At other times, you know that homesickness will rear its ugly head--spending holidays away from family or PCSing, which leaves us longing for the familiarity of the home we just left.

As military wives, we face our fair share of homesickness and have ways of coping with this demon.  For me, sometimes the cause can be part of the solution.  I enjoy reminiscing by listening to old, familiar songs and looking at old pictures, but my favorite method of coping is wandering through Target.  Most of these stores are identical in layout, making my walk through the store like a walk down memory lane.  Strange?  Yes, but it works for me.

One thing I rarely think about is homesickness in my dogs.  Our last move demonstrated that my emotional Little Puppy was more affected by our move than I would ever have imagined.  Hubby and I kept finding her in what appeared to be odd places, but the more we thought about it, the more we realized that she was just probably feeling a little homesick herself and was finding her own way of coping.          

In my overnight bag at a hotel during the last PCS...

 In my suitcase in our new house before the rest of our stuff arrived...

Wandering around our new house with her towel on her back...

 In the Boppy...

In our childhood stuffed animals that we got out for Baby...

On our newly unpacked slipcovers (with Big Puppy)...

 
I still can't decide if these pictures are really funny or really sad.  I'm leaning towards funny now because she's totally adjusted to our new home. 

How do you cope with homesickness?