Full Circle Home is a great resource for military families.

It was a few days after Mother's Day when the package arrived.  I was totally surprised.  My son who was serving in Afghanistan had signed up for a Mother's Day care package project organized by Full Circle Home.  Deploying military men and women can opt to have the people at Full Circle Home send a Mother's Day care package for their mothers while they are deployed.

What is Full Circle Home?

Full Circle Home is a not-for-profit organization that helps military men and women connect with their loved ones while they are away.  They help them send holiday care packages and notes during their deployment months.  Since 2007, they have sent more than 21,000 packages and notes to deployed service member's loved ones.  The gifts sent by Full Circle Home help service members express their appreciation and gratitude for the sacrifices military families make while they are away.  Since it is the whole family who is affected by deployment, Full Circle Home helps bridge the gap of between the deployed family member and those eagerly waiting for their return home.

My Personal Experience

I can personally testify to the fact that the gift I received from my Soldier, organized by Full Circle Home, made me feel more connected to him.  Inside the package were several gifts from several different companies.  Those gifts were all so nice, but what brought on the crocodile tears was the personal hand-written note from my Soldier which was included in the package.  Of course, that note will be tucked away in a safe place for as long as I live, but I'll also have several other keepsakes to remind me of the sweet truth that my Soldier thought about my Mother's Day gift even before he deployed.  I'll always be thankful for that and for the people at Full Circle Home who help our military service member connect with their families in such a meaningful way.

What is in the Care Package?

I almost feel guilty for revealing what was inside my care package but there are probably different items each year depending which company sponsors the project.  I want you to see what came inside my package in case you are a service member preparing to deploy.  You might want to take advantage of this project for your mom while you are away.  I recommend contacting with them here to see if they send other packages as well, such as birthday or anniversary packages.  My package was a Mother's Day package.

The item that meant the most to me was the personal note from my son which was written on the back of this card.  Seeing his own handwriting was such a sweet touch. 

The soap from Beekman 1802 smelled amazing!  Beekman Soaps was actually founded in 2008, but the company was named for a farm in upstate New York.  The farm's original owner, Judge William Beekman, had been inspired to create something lasting in his community.  You can learn more about Beekman 1802 here.

I received Forget Me Not flower seeds to plant at my home.  The flowers serve as a reminder of your military service member every time you see them.  I'm actually terrible with plants, but I thought it was a good idea for them to include them.  The seeds were from Crosman Seed Corporation.  Crosman provides custom seed packets.  You can learn more about those here.  I took note of the phrase printed near the bottom of the package.

Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.

The package of tissues came in handy right away.  I absolutely love the change purse that is now secured to my key chain.  I think of my son every time I reach for my keys.  It also makes it easier to find my keys (because I tend to lose them . . . sometimes).  The tissues were from Kleenex.  The change purse was provided by Vera Bradley.

I really like the bracelet from Luca + Danni.  It's easy to put on and take off.  You just squeezed the bracelet and hook it together.  You simply squeeze it again to unlatch it when you want to take it off.  The charm is set so it doesn't move around.  The home inside the circle has a heart in the middle.  It reminds me of the fact that my son will be coming home and our family circle will be together again.  

Each of these products are sweet reminders that my son cared enough to prepare ahead of time to send me a special gift for Mother's Day, a day that would not be the same without him here with us.  My husband and my daughters went above and beyond to make sure I enjoyed a great Mother's Day, but having this package sent from my son, especially since it included his handwritten note, was the next best thing to having him here.  

This Full Circle Home project was sponsored by Vera Bradley.

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Read other posts about living through deployment here.