Shawn and Crystal were married on October 8, 2006, and, after being told she was unable to have children, she gave birth to their first son, Riley, on July 20, 2007. A second son, Timothy Daniel, followed a few years later on June 24, 2011.
On May 28th, 2012, Shawn and Crystal Morris received news of Shawn's very first deployment. As upsetting for both of them as it was just knowing he would be going into a war zone, their anxiety only multiplied when they found out he would be doing back-to-back training and deployment. He was scheduled to leave on June 28th, just 1 month after hearing the news. Just 2 weeks after hearing this devastating news, they found out they were expecting their third child, regardless of their preventative measures. Crystal's worry turned to terror. The thought of facing this pregnancy without her husband was frightening and heart breaking.
While Shawn was deployed, they were lucky enough to have Skype and Facebook Chat, but regardless of what many people think, this did not make the separation any easier for either of them. While Shawn was deployed, Crystal struggled to adjust to being a single parent. She focused all of her attention on her two children, and the one growing in her belly. Even though some of here days were monotonous and boring, she knew that her children were her first priority, and she would do anything to keep them happy and healthy.
If there were ever a communication blackout, Crystal's mind automatically went to the worst-case-scenario. Anything she could do to keep her mind off of it - wandering department stores, decorating or cleaning the house - she would do it, avoiding radios and TVs at all costs.
In order to help the kids adjust, they were each given a "Daddy Doll" to keep with them whenever they needed him. He was a popular topic of conversation in their home, and Skype was paramount in maintaining daily sanity. Each holiday, Crystal had the kids make special crafts just for Daddy, to give to him whenever he got home.
The hardest part of this deployment, for Crystal, was going through her entire pregnancy, including labor and delivery, without her husband by her side. Being their 3rd child, but their 1st daughter, and knowing that they were done having kids, it was extremely difficult for Crystal to go through that experience without Shawn. Aubrey was born on January 11, 2013. Watching all three of the kids grow up was bitter-sweet, more so than it is for most parents. Knowing that her husband was missing each of their milestones, even though she did her very best to post pictures and status updates on Facebook about each and every one, was beyond difficult.
Even with family close by, Crystal felt very alone at times. She made friends with the other wives in their unit, and they have been each other's support system throughout the deployment. Crystal tells me that this deployment was very difficult on her, with more than her fair share of abnormal incidences and issues. But she fought through every day, knowing that, one day, her soldier would come back to her, and having faith in God that He would take care of her and her family.
Upon finding out that Shawn would finally be returning home, Crystal felt an "indescribable amount of happiness, relief and anticipation." While the details were not given right off, just knowing that he would be home soon had lifted much of the weight and stress she had carried around for the past 14 months. Finally, their family will be complete. Shawn will get to meet his baby girl, who is now 6 months old, and will get to enjoy all the crafts the kids have prepared for him during his deployment. Crystal is looking forward to going grocery shopping without the kids!
I was blessed enough to have the honor of photographing Shawn's arrival, and I will never forget that experience. The love that is within that family is tangible, and I pray that they will never have to experience another deployment like this one, if any at all. I am so overjoyed that their family is complete and Shawn has come home safe to his wife and three kids. I know that over the next months and years, Shawn will be showered with abounding love from his family.
As Shawn stepped off the bus, Crystal's eyes pooled with tears of joy - that Shawn would finally meet his baby girl, that Riley and Timothy Daniel would finally have their daddy back, and that she would have her long-missed husband back in her arms.
Watching Shawn meet his daughter for the very first time in person brought tears to everyone's eyes. He was overjoyed at meeting his princess, and his smile in these photos tells a story I could never tell properly.
The photos, I believe, speak for themselves, so I'll end my portion of the story here. I hope you're as touched by these photos as I was by taking them and editing them. I hope you will always remember that the freedoms we have in this country does not come free at all. Everyday people are fighting to keep America free for those of us who rarely think of it at all. The sacrifice this father made by leaving his family behind, including his unborn child, should never be forgotten. The sacrifice this mother made for her three children by always putting them first, even when she felt so alone, should encourage all of us to remember that we are stronger than we think we are. And the sacrifice made by these three beautiful children who went 14 months without their father, should break our hearts and remind us to be there for our children always - we may not be there tomorrow, so even when we're tired or have "other things to do", we need to make sure we take time for them. Remember the hundreds upon hundreds of families in our country who are making the same sacrifices and WHY they are doing so. Whether you support the war or not, it is (in my humble opinion) your duty as an America to support our troops, because without them and their selflessness, we would simply not be America.
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| The first kiss in 14 months |
