20 February 2010

A Military Wife



Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories. 
 
Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!
They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent;
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.
She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign

TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.


A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.

She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?

You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,

And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

16 comments:

  1. Kate...I have a friend whose son is an Air Force pilot. Her son has been to Afghanistan 2 years ago, but her DIL and grandchildren were Stateside. Now he has been stationed in England for 3 years and the whole family has followed. May I copy your beautiful writing about the relationship you share as a Military wife with your husband to let my friend read it? She is not a blog reader, but I know she would appreciate it.

    Thank you
    Lynne
    dlynne172@yahoo.com

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  2. Aww that's so cute! :-)

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  3. Kate, that was beautifully written. As a veteran I appreciate all that you as a military wife sacrifice and appreciate it. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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  4. Stopping by to say hello with Friday Follow. Hope you have a fantastic weekend.

    Felissa
    Please stop by my new blog and say hello
    www.twolittlecavaliers.blogspot.com

    www.felissahadas.blogspot.com

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  5. This is sooo beautiful! you are so adorable:)
    Thank you for stopping by my blog today.
    Have a great day!
    Anat

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  6. As a new military wife, I want to thank you for posting this!

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  7. Great post!! About to embark on the adventure of being a military wife in less then 4 months!!

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  8. I love this every time I see it. And I love your pictures. You two are so cute together! :)

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  9. awww that was so cute!

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  10. That.. that was amazing! I am SO forwarding this to my Airman fiance!

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  11. Wow - that is stunningly beautiful!!

    Happy Friday Follow ... on Saturday :). I'm you're newest follower. I'd love for you to drop by my blog sometime! Have a great weekend.

    http://savingsandstewardship.blogspot.com

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  12. Very cute! I love the pics you added.

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  13. This is a great post. My husband was (or IS) a Marine. He would trade everything he has to actively serve again. And it takes a special woman to marry a serviceman. Great post!

    Coming from Friday Follow!

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  14. Thank you for posting this! I was a military wife for 5 years and love it when people know what I went through!

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  15. What a beautiful post! Those of us that haven't been through this tend to forget about the wife of the soldier. Thanks for the reminder that this is hard on you too.

    (Stopping by to say hello from Friday Follow.)

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