What is a Military Wife?

What is a MILITARY wife?

I received permission from a blog friend Leanne, over at These Twenty Toes, to copy this post. I enjoyed it so much, and I am sure you will enjoy it as well. As I look into the eyes of an imminent move, with our home about to be completely put into truckload of boxes, it was not only encouraging, but gave me a sense of pride in my man and my country!

On a side note, you should know that as you read this, my sweet sweet husband has sent me off for a last minute shopping trip to Atlanta with a dear friend - I suppose he wanted to give me a break before the chaos begins on Wednesday. Thank you so much Justin for being everything to me...and for being the man I would follow anywhere...I look forward to where our road will lead us!

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique, but this is what they have in common. 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 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 can put together a WOODEN swing set. 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 unique. He 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. His language is foreign:TDY,PCS,MOS,FOB,ACU 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.