Military Spouse Appreciation

Well, this certainly snuck up on me...in fact I did not even realize it was until my own LilBlue made a comment to me on FaceBook. I'm somewhat indifferent to "days" like this.

I found the Wiki page enlightening. The fact that Military Spouse Appreciation came into being the year I graduated from high school was enough to make my eyes bug out a little! WOW and I really did not realize it coincides with Mother's Day weekend. I have been educated indeed!

There are lots of nice things out there about military spouses, they are really nice I read them and in my brain I am usually in agreement and find it interesting that someone has put it all into words. I find reading those things sometimes funny, sometimes emotional. I also realize that it's just how we roll. Military spouses are a different breed. And even then we are not all alike, some are still even a cut above and have more tenacity then others. It's a lifestyle, if you embrace it, you learn it, you do it, you become it. Others struggle, take longer to get it together, fight against it, those are the ones we come alongside and help, it works, we take care of our own, we are family. It's a mindset, you serve, you find yourself in roles you don't want or necessarily need, but the overall picture can be seen and you know meeting the needs of others is necessary. You want the young ones to feel connected, you help them get there, you want to see them grow, to carry on, to be the next generation and to know how to do it. It's not always all cake and flowers, or graduations and promotions...sometimes it's ER rooms and tissues, sometimes it's bouncing a fussy baby and coloring with a toddler while mom gets a breather, or helping out with a phone call on pay issues or explaining a process that you don't even understand yourself but you know is just the way it is. 

I wear no uniforms, no blues or greens.
But, I am in the military, in the ranks rarely seen.
I have no rank upon my shoulders. Salutes I do not give.
But in the military world is where I live.
I am not in the chain of command, orders I do not give or get.
... ... But my husband is the one who does, this I can not forget.
I am not the one who fires a weapon, Who puts his life on the line.
But my job is just as tough, I’m the one who is always left behind.
My husband is a patriot, a brave and pride filled man.
And the call to serve his country not all can understand.
Behind the lines, I see things needed to keep this country free.
My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do my kids and me.
I love the man I married. The military is his life.
So I pledge to support my hero and stand among the silent ranks known as THE MILITARY WIFE.

Congrats to all the military spouses out there and hope you enjoyed the day set aside to recognize who we are. We speak a different language, we live daily in a world of unknowns, we are our own family, we are military spouses! Thanks LilBlue for reminding me of this day, love you :)