We were fairly settled in brisbane…but some family members were quite ill back home (in SA) so the army wanted to be supportive and sent us back home for a CoPas posting which is 12 months. That is up soon, at the end of March. However, John hasn’t seen any paperwork yet, which isn’t right. His bosses are more than happy for him to stay here in SA but it isn’t up to them. The decision lies with the Soldier’s Career management unit. They can be good but then can be pigheaded and pigeonhole people. My husband looks a fair bit younger than he is. He is often mistaken for being between 33-38 years old. He turns 50 this year!!!! He is pretty fit for his age but come on, with all the mismanagement of injuries he’s had over the years he just can’t do what the 30-40 yo’s can do. He does do more than he needs to for his age though. For some reason this career management unit just seems to treat him like he’s 20 and climbing the corporate ladder…when this is the opposite of what he wants! We don’t move around all this much for John to get another promotion. That’s not where he is at.

Some of my blog readers know the drama we’ve had with one of our children. This particular child also goes to school. But let me tell you, homeschooling and defence life are suited to each other like a glove is to a hand. Perfect! Schooling and defence life are pretty hard for a child and a teen. This child has difficulty getting into the subjects or classes that they need because they get enrolled in a new school too late (like half way through the year), etc. It is very tough…amidst the emotional, hormonal youthful years. So yes, moving with my ‘challenging child’ is at the very forefront of my mind. I wonder what difficulty will be put before them this time…just when it seems like the child is really starting to try to get their life together.

Master 13’s main concern is for a decent cadet unit. Master 11 doesn’t really have any concerns. So long as his mum and dad are there, he’s happy. 🙂

I’ve always tried to foster an adventurous attitude toward moving…for this is how I’ve viewed it. I’ve had opportunities to see and experience parts of Australia that I would not have been able to do, if not for military life. I always try to believe and live that I will “bloom where I am planted” and the ‘glass is half full’ and all that kind of positive talk. Despite this, there have been negatives. However, short of applying for a discharge posting it looks like we will indeed be off again. And taking a discharge posting is really not viable at the point in our lives. 12 months…12 lousy months I have been home and we’re off again. Do I know where to this time? Nope! But it will be far from here…far from my dad…far from my extended family.

Possibilities that I have to get my head around are Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney, Townsville or Ross Island. There are pro’s and con’s to both Brisbane and Darwin…but in the end, the decision isn’t ours. I guess that’s what I find hard. I’m more than willing to weigh things up- make a decision and then live with the consequences…I find it hard to live with the consequences of something that isn’t really my choice. Someone else looks over a few paper’s in our file and then they decide where we will spend the next few years of our life-regardless of how it may affect my children. Sure I get to have a choice- I get to put in a preference for town A or town B…doesn’t matter if I don’t want either of them. Goodness, I have moved so much over the last 8 years. If my hubby has to be there, I’ll be there. I’ve gone anywhere, done anything, put up with anything…but sometimes in one’s life there comes a time when one just can’t keep up with that. I’ll definitely be relying on the strength of the Lord…Oh Lord, please be very real to me right now.

As Beyond Bluestockings tried to encourage me in her comment, I am trying to see God’s sovereignty in it all. I see His hand in dealing with the Israelites and with others but in this situation? Hmm…this is where I’m having difficulty. I know He can move mountains but I’m seeing military bureaucracy as being immovable and insurmountable at the moment. They seem to hold the key to my family’s future in their hands. Dramatic? Maybe but it actually contains an element of truth to it.

So we’re weighing up the pro’s and the con’s so we can put in our preferences, after staying here of course. lol. Please pray for us and for those that hold the power of the decision.