San Diego Beach Family Session | Cleary Family
Ahead of an impending deployment, the Cleary family's session on the beach in La Jolla, the kids' favorite place, was incredibly special.
The period before a deployment is always the hardest. It's like there's this giant elephant in the room. You're trying to enjoy every moment as much as you can before your partner leaves while also trying not to dwell on everything your partner will miss. It reaches a point where you just want them to leave already - not that you want them to leave, but you want to settle into a routine. Before deployments, there is so much training, so many trips they take, and the back and forth is tough. At least when they're deployed, you know what your life will look like. And then, the guilt settles in and you can't believe you want them to leave. You don't, but you do. Do you see what I mean about pre-deployment being hard?
The Cleary family is in that stage now, so spending a beautiful February Sunday on the beach in La Jolla was just what they needed. It gave them time to savor just being a family of four, existing in a space that's comfortable.
For anyone in the pre-deployment stage, I feel you and I see you, and be kind to yourself. You're one day closer to the deployment being over.
