What is a Military Wife?
They may look different and each is wonderfully unique,
But this they have in common:
Lots of moving---MovingMoving 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 trunkful of memories
Often waiting-
Waiting, waiting, waiting for housing; waiting for orders; waiting for deployment; waiting for reunion; waiting for phones calls
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 can balance a checkbook
Handle the yard work
Fix a noisy toilet.
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
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
She is fiercely IN-dependent
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 and accept offers of friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil
Military Wives have a common bond.
The military wife has a husband unlike other husbands
His commitment is uniqueHe doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' he can't just decide to quit
He's on-call for his country 24/7
But for you, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign TDY PCS OPR ACC ABU
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, and 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, and 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.
But this they have in common:
Lots of moving---MovingMoving 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 trunkful of memories
Often waiting-
Waiting, waiting, waiting for housing; waiting for orders; waiting for deployment; waiting for reunion; waiting for phones calls
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 can balance a checkbook
Handle the yard work
Fix a noisy toilet.
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
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
She is fiercely IN-dependent
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 and accept offers of friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil
Military Wives have a common bond.
The military wife has a husband unlike other husbands
His commitment is uniqueHe doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' he can't just decide to quit
He's on-call for his country 24/7
But for you, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign TDY PCS OPR ACC ABU
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, and 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, and 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.
I didn't write this, but I love it nonetheless.
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