I stole this from another blog. It's so spot on! Let me hear a big HOOAH (or Booyah) for the army wives out there...and their husbands!
P.S. And Congress is considering slashing our benefits? Shame on them.
Military Wife Poem
Moving... |
Moving... |
Moving far from home... |
Moving two cars, two kids... 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; |
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. |
-Author Unknown |
