Miss you G.

I took Glenn to the airport this morning. It was sad. I cried of course. I didn't even go in to the terminal to make it easier for him. At least I know I will see him in 2 or 3 months (in Japan!). Crazy. Scary. But Exciting. I am not looking forward to the day when we say goodbye for a 7 or 8 or 9 or 13 month deployment. At least that day was not today.

On a brighter note, I am very excited to see my family. Mom comes down a week from Monday and we'll meet Jen in Raleigh for some much needed R&R after moving before the drive home.

I'm not looking forward to all the packing, sorting, selling & donating, but even more so I'm not looking forward to the good-byes. All of the friends we have had in Kingsville and Norfolk are going to be hard to leave.

A friend sent me this poem and I think it pretty much sums up a lot:

What is a Military Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique But this 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 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 but for you, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign- TDY, PCS, OPR, ACC, BDU

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.

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.