The Day After He Left for Iraq : A Story of Love, Family, and Reunion

The emotional true story of a family separated by war. We feel for the men and women who are risking their lives at war, but what of the families they've left behind? In gorgeous prose, a military wife describes a year in her family's life?a year in which her husband leaves for war and returns, and prepares again to leave. Melissa Seligman's son is a newborn, and her daughter, a toddler, when her husband ships out to Iraq. Starting with that day, and focusing on the months that follow, she movingly describes the balancing act her life has become: being a loving mother to her young childre.;Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; Death; A Painful Goodbye; Dying; The Empty Seat; In Memory Of; Denial; Rearview Mirrors; Thanks Given; Looking to Baghdad; A Welcome Distraction; Masquerade; Unraveling; The Long Road Home; Anger; Clenched Fists; Writhing; Fallout; Incarcerated; Fighting for Freedom; Overwhelmed; Necessary Evil; Bargaining; Repositioning; Getting Caught; Pay Off; Chest Pains; Losing the Battle; A New Shade of Gray; Extra Care Packages; Out of My Hands; Searching for Normal; Date Night; Reading Between the Lines; Answered Prayer; Disconnected; Demons. The emotional true story of a family separated by war. We feel for the men and women who are risking their lives at war, but what of the families they've left behind? In gorgeous prose, a military wife describes a year in her family's life—a year in which her husband leaves for war and returns, and prepares again to leave. Melissa Seligman's son is a newborn, and her daughter, a toddler, when her husband ships out to Iraq. Starting with that day, and focusing on the months that follow, she movingly describes the balancing act her life has become: being a loving mother to her young children, with the haunting knowledge that her husband, their father, could be killed at any time. Seligman doesn't hesitate to express her inner pain. She watches her daughter acting out in fury. Then there's her own anger. Ultimately, though, she comes to accept her life and appreciate the strength and determination of her loving children and husband. It's a book to read in one sitting, and to think about for years. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home. Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Death A Painful Goodbye Dying The Empty Seat In Memory Of Denial Rearview Mirrors Thanks Given Looking to Baghdad A Welcome Distraction Masquerade Unraveling The Long Road Home Anger Clenched Fists Writhing Fallout Incarcerated Fighting for Freedom Overwhelmed Necessary Evil Bargaining Repositioning Getting Caught Pay Off Chest Pains Losing the Battle A New Shade of Gray Extra Care Packages Out of My Hands Searching for Normal Date Night Reading Between the Lines Answered Prayer Disconnected Demons. Crude RealityDepression Torture Chamber Nightmare Haunted Shackled Collapsing Raging Bulls Dangling Trial Separation Longing Implosion Acceptance Dusting My Cobwebs Pinky Toes and Butterfly Kisses Through Her Eyes Fresh Air Avoiding the Turbulence Celebrity Spotting Below the Belt Vacancy Sharp Edges Standing Still Impending Arrival Removing My Blinders No Promises Made At Last Recovery Homecoming The Invitation Assessing the Damage Flickering Fuses Bottled Licking My Wounds Bated Breath With Nothing Left to Give Great Awakening Scar Tissue. Taking InventoryEpilogue Filling Every Space Acknowledgments. Melissa Seligman is something rare in the world of military families—a military wife who is also a beautiful writer. Here she describes her feelings as she watches her husband walk away from her and her newborn, knowing full well that he might not return from the war in Iraq. She experiences saying goodbye twice—both times he left when their children were still infants. While he's away from home again, Melissa struggles to remember the goodness of her husband and the joy of their life together. Working hard to raise a baby and a four-year old, Melissa tells of the heartbreak and desperation she experiences at home. She watches her daughter clutch a G.I. Joe doll she's named "Little Daddy," and wonders if the family will make it through. Hers is a story of sadness and strength, desperation and hope, displacement and unity. It's a story that anyone left behind (and we have all been left behind) will respond to, one that, unfortunately, is becoming more and more common... A wife of a soldier stationed in Iraq describes the heartache she experienced when saying goodbye to him twice when their children were infants and her endeavor to put on a brave face at home while worrying about her husband and raising their children alone Death -- Denial -- Anger -- Bargaining -- Depression -- Acceptance -- Recovery -- Epilogue. Melissa Seligman.