Okay, my incredibly creative friend Jess sent me on a little surfing mission to Once Upon a Family after asking if I'd heard of them.  (I hadn't, thus the mission, of course.)

First of all, this is one gorgeous website.  Secondly, here's a product that I can see a multitude of uses for: their "While I'm Away Box".  They describe it as being the perfect solution for staying connected while you're away on trips for business, church, relaxation, etc.  However, the first thing that popped into my mind was how appropos this would be for those of you who are military families with a servicemember who will be deployed in the near future. 

I don't think you'd have to even purchase this specific item (although it is lovely!).  I bet you could find a nice decorative box at your local craft store or Hallmark-type store that would suit your family's interests even better.  If you or the kids are crafty-types, you could even get a box that is not decorated and do it yourselves.  Take the time to fill it with letters and audio recordings from the person who will be away. 

Make sure to put in other things that matter as well.  I like their mention of a t-shirt with your perfume on it.  Menfolk, take note.  What wife or girlfriend wouldn't enjoy being able to "hold" her honey while he's away?  My best friend and I have discussed several times that she and her son miss "Daddy's smell" while he's deployed...even the dog sniffles his pillow.  Maybe grab a travel size bottle of your favorite cologne instead for replenishing your pillow when she's really had a rough day.  When my daughter was first born and my (then-) husband was working a lot of overtime, it truly did help me to spritz some of his cologne in the room and take a moment to just sit with the baby for a while.

I can see this working out real well for the pastors who are on the road for their organizations as well.  Any time away from the family is a time that can be used for memory making instead of wandering around moon-eyed because Dad's gone.  Set up a second box for saving any letters and photos that are mailed home, too.  And when he comes home, I bet he'll be glad to see how much he was missed.