Just because your spouse/partner is deployed, doesn’t mean you are totally alone. (Although, sometimes it can feel like it!) You do have a support system made up of extended family and friends; most of us just don’t take the time to access it when we don’t need it!

My mom was an Army wife. Even though my dad was never deployed, she did understand the concepts of supporting your husband and his mission. Mom and I grew much closer during Paul’s deployment. And, of course, I couldn’t have survived it without Kelly as my Battle Buddy. But it’s not just military connections that can help – sometimes you don’t realize what wonderful relationships you already have with the friends and relatives in your life until you hit a rough patch and they step up to support you.

No matter how strong and independent you are, you WILL need some people to lean on during the deployment…. and no matter how far along you are, it’s never too late to reach out!

Jocelyn Green, a friend and fellow military wife just wrote about some ideas for connecting on her blog, Faith Deployed:

Deployments are not the only separations the military family must endure. While God is faithful to provide supportive friends and sometimes even surrogate families with each new move, most of the time, many miles come between us and our biological families. Connecting with extended family may be challenging, but there are several creative ways to do it. Here are a few ideas from Heroes at Home by Ellie Kay:

Building Memories. Take some of those works of art that your children have created and build a portfolio for your extended family. Attach photos to the artwork. If your children are old enough, have them write the captions, a short story explaining what they’re doing in the picture, or evena poem that expresses their feelings about their family. You can send these to relatives monthly or hold the keepsakes until the end of the year and present them at Christmas as a special memory book. Don’t forget school papers, certificates, or special awards that you can photocopy and include.

Family Calendars. Your local discount department store’s photo department is a gret resource for making this a truly personal gift. Take photos year-round and order a gallery calendar for your extended family. [A note from Jocelyn: you can also create your own calendars from digital snapshots using Web sites like Snapfish.com or Kodakgallery.com.] Write as many special days as you can on their calendar, including birthdays, first and last days of school, moving day, beginning of the various sports seasons, or even anniversaries. This reminds extended family that their military family is thinking of them, and it might even encourage them to make phone calls, send notes, and be more involved in the lives of those they love from afar.

Kids’ Mugs. [For the relatives of a military family] Consider having your photo printed on a mug. Kids love to have their own special cup, and each time they drink from it, they are reminded that they have family who thinks they are special. This even helps very young children recognize and stay connectd to Grandma and Grandpa.

Last week through the Faith Deployed Facebook fan page, I asked military wives what other ways they connect to family. Here are our ideas:

• Compile a photo-filled email newsletter for relatives.
• Ask grandparents, aunts or uncles to make an audio or video recording of themselves reading a favorite story or poems to your children. Include the book(s) with the recording so your children can follow along with the book as they listen.
• Post and share photos online at sites such as Snapfish.com. 
• Try TheFamilyPost.com to build your own family blog with news and photos, letting your kids write some entries.
• Use email, Facebook and Skype liberally. (Skype is a cheap way to make phone calls through the Internet, and also allows for video chatting using Web cams–perhaps Web cams should be on your family’s Christmas lists if they don’t have them already!)
• Make phone calls when possible, especially on birthdays, holidays, etc.
• Cerissa Harvey uses Shutterfy.com to share photos, videos and artwork.
• Katherine Wilburn mails her children’s artwork to relatives to grace their refrigerators and avoid from art overload at home.
• Crystal Egan makes videos using Windows Movie Maker, which most PCs have standard. “I set a month’s worth of photos on a disc and put it to music,” she says. “It keeps from having to email every single little photo….and sets the mood when you can pick a song.”
• Dayna Bunney Rappold makes video diarys of the kids and copies one for each set of grandparents to send every few months.

Create a blog to keep extended family up-to-date. Both you and your spouse can post to it from any location.