Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The military wife

As I sit here alone tonight without my husband...again...I came upon an old article that has truly touched my heart and reminded me what a blessing it is to be part of the Navy which serves and protects our nation. Navy wife...toughest job in the Navy.


The Military Wife
Over the years, I've talked a lot about military spouses ... how special they are and the price they pay for freedom too. The funny thing about it, is most military spouses don't consider themselves different from other spouses. They do what they have to do, bound together not by blood, or, merely friendship, but with a shared spirit whose origin is in the very essence of what love truly is. Is there truly a difference? I think there is. You have to decide for yourself.
Other spouses get married and look forward to building equity in a home and putting down family roots. Military spouses get married and know they'll live in base housing or rent, and their roots must be short so they can be transplanted frequently.
Other spouses decorate a home with flair and personality that will last a lifetime. Military spouses decorate a home with flare tempered with the knowledge that no two base houses have the same size windows or same size rooms. Curtains have to be flexible and multiple sets are a plus. Furniture must fit like puzzle pieces.
Other spouses have living rooms that are immaculate and seldom used. Military spouses have immaculate living room/dining room combos. The coffee table gota scratch or two moving from Germany, but it still looks pretty good.
Other spouses say good-bye to their spouse for a business trip and know they won't see them for a week. They are lonely, but can survive. Military spouses say good-bye to their deploying spouse and know they won't see them for months, or for a remote, a year. They are lonely, but will survive.
Other spouses, when a washer hose blows off, call Maytag and then write a check out for getting the hose reconnected. Military spouses will cut the water off and fix it themselves. Other spouses get used to saying "hello" to friends they see all the time. Military spouses get used to saying "good-bye" to friends made the last two years.

Other spouses worry about whether their child will be class president next year. Military spouses worry about whether their child will be accepted in yet another new school next year and whether that school will be the worst in the city ... again.
Other spouses can count on spouse participation in special events ... birthdays, anniversaries, concerts, football games, graduation, and even the birth of a child. Military spouses only count on each other; because they realize that the Flag has to come first if freedom is to survive. It has to be that way.
Other spouses put up yellow ribbons when the troops are imperiled across the globe and take them down when the troops come home. Military spouses wear yellow ribbons around their hearts and they never go away.
Other spouses worry about being late for mom's Thanksgiving dinner. Military spouses worry about getting back from Japan in time for dad's funeral.
And other spouses are touched by the television program showing an elderly lady putting a card down in front of a long, black wall that has names on it. The card simply says "Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. You would have been sixty today." A military spouse is the lady with the card. And the wall is the Vietnam Memorial.
I would never say military spouses are better or worse than other spouses are. But I will say there is a difference. And I will say that our country asks more of military spouses than is asked of other spouses. And I will say without hesitation, that military spouses pay just as high a price for freedom as do their active duty husbands or wives. Perhaps the price they pay is even higher. Dying in service to our country isn't nearly as hard as loving someone who has died in service to our country and having to live without them.
God bless our military spouses for All they freely give!

By Colonel Steven Arrington 17th Training Wing vice commander Goodfellow AFB San Angelo, Texas from the Goodfellow Monitor 11May01

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was so moving! Even though I talk to you so often and feel like I'm there with you, I forget sometimes how much you sacrifice. I'm so proud of you and all you do! You are a fantastic mother of 3, a wonderful wife and the most fantastic friend God ever made! May GOD bless you and other women/men like you.

Love you Shan

kristi said...

I have actually read this somewhere else before but it is so true!!! I have said goodbye to so many people and taken my kids from all that thay knew at the time too many times. But through it I am stronger and I have built character.

We are a unique breed of woman, wife, and/or mother!! It's the toughest job there is but someone has got to do it!!!

Caro said...

My MIL was a navy wife when she was first married.

There is no doubt in my mind it's not an easy life.

Gingers Mom said...

Carolyn -OH I complain, but for a military wife I have it kinda easy. At least my husband is in the country. I reserve the right to bitch every now and then.

Kristi - I think it does build character. For most of us, it is a better lives with our husbands in the Navy then a life without them at all.

Shan - you mushy goober. I am proud of you too. Not many women could do all that you do.

Mz.Elle said...

Wow,that was really beautiful.

Dr.John said...

Many of the hardships of a military spouse are the hardships of a pastor's spouse as well. Of course they aren't gone for a year at a time but they do move a lot.

Gingers Mom said...

Dr. John - that is so true. My parents were lucky in the moving respect. They had a few churches where they stayed for many many years. How the churches treated them through the years is another story.

Catch said...

that was beautiful and so true ...ny hats off to you wonderful ladies! And to your husbands who are fighting for our freedom! THANK YOU

The Domesticator said...

That was a nice reminder for me to remember the sacrafices that military spouses make. So often we talk about the men and women in the service and the sacrafices they make, but the spouses and families are overlooked. Thanks for the reminder...and thanks for being a wonderfully strong woman behind the man! Being a military spouse truly must be one of the hardest jobs. I for one thank you from the bottom of my heart! :)

Kristin said...

What a wonderful post... thank you for sharing it.

PS... I love your blog title... "the weird dark one" is just too funny!!!