Happy July 4th! This week’s story features my friend, Stacey Morgan, who is an astronaut’s wife! Her life is truly fascinating. Her family is currently living in the Marshall Islands which is 5 hours south of Hawaii.  Stacey honestly shares the truth about loneliness. She has had to start over multiple times as a military spouse. I love her hard truth about loneliness: we have to make the first move. She also shares how her kids are thriving as they were uprooted from the cultural norm in Texas, and now live on an island with 1,200 people total. They are learning valuable life lessons about what’s most important. My favorite part is at the very end when she talks about her top learning as a mom of over 20 years. Her encouragement to “let go” was really timely for me. I am having trouble letting go of my oldest who is a rising senior. I need that reminder over and over again.  In this episode, we chat about: How to navigate marriage when you are both strong leadersHow to start over when you move into a new city (or island! :)Why community matters in motherhoodHow to make friends as an adult woman What to do when you’re deeply lonelyChapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:47 Moving to the Marshall Islands 05:58 Supporting a Spouse's Career 11:04 Living in a Small Community 15:01 Transition and Loneliness 23:57 Supporting Military Spouses and Moms 26:30 The Importance of Community for Military Families 31:16 MomCo: Supporting Military Moms 39:19 Lessons in Trust and Letting Go 44:28 The Power of Grace and Understanding in Parenting Connect with Pardon The Mess: Christian Parenting Pardon The Mess  Courtney DeFeo Get your 2024-2025 prayer journal, A Life of Faith Resources from today’s show: Stacey Morgan’s site  Stacey’s Instagram Stacey’s Book: The Astronaut’s Wife MomCo - Military Meetups How to start an online MomCo group Pardon the Mess is part of The Christian Parenting Podcast Network. As a donor funded ministry, we rely on generous supporters like you to keep this show going. If you enjoy this podcast, please consider giving a gift today. Join the Christian Parenting Legacy Builders community Our Sponsors: * Check out Seed and use my code 25MESS for a great deal: seed.com * Check out Seed and use my code 25MESS for a great deal: seed.com Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy