I returned home from deployment three weeks ahead of schedule to surprise my husband and our four-year-old daughter

The first time she asked me for a second helping of dinner, I had to leave the table, walk into the kitchen, and cry where she could not see me.

We moved into a smaller home located near a park.

I also changed my military assignment so I could remain closer to home while Lily and I worked to rebuild a sense of normal life together.

None of it was easy.

Some nights, I lay awake questioning every choice I had made during my overseas deployment.

On certain mornings, Lily would become frightened simply because I stepped outside for a moment to collect the mail.

But we continued moving forward.

One Saturday afternoon, I was unpacking the last cardboard box in the living room of our new home when Lily came to stand beside me.

She was holding a photograph.

It showed the two of us together before my deployment.