Military mom comes up with a great way to keep dad in the Christmas Card

Ashely Sistrunk is the proud mother of a military family. Her young kids have reached the age where the separation from their father is starting to have an effect on them.

“They’re old enough to be mad about it, they’re old enough to be sad. So I have to balance all of their emotions on top of my emotions and I think this one is the hardest.” “We mainly do it as a reminder that Daddy’s doing something important, rather than pretending that Daddy’s there.”

She does her best to keep her children mindful of their father while he’s gone, including putting his picture on his chair during meals. This year, however she has come up with a fun way to make sure her whole family is pictured on her family’s Christmas cards.

Ashley’s mother took a photo of her and the kids, and a military friend of Brandon’s took a picture of him. Ashley then stitched the two images together in Photoshop and shared it with friends on social media. It was picked up by local news station KKTV 11 on Saturday and has since gone viral. “Having a piece of your heart across the world, fighting for your country. It’s just a whole other level of emotions,” she said.

Cheers to the Sistrunks for staying strong during a trying holiday season apart. What a great idea! We will keep Brandon in our prayers and hope that he returns from his duties safe and sound.
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