Every military spouse knows hope. Formally defined, hope is belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life and implies that the outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary. Much like Roxy, Claudia Joy, Denise, Pamela, Joan, and Roland find hope in their situations, we find hope in our own lives. From permanent changes of station (PCS) to deployments, funny moments to serious ones, hope is the epicenter of our military way of life. From the funny or not so serious… We hope we can complete the next PCS without the cat jumping out the window, the kids throwing up, or not getting completely lost. We hope we make the weight limit on our household goods. We hope the curtains Read more…
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Monthly Archives: October 2011I read somewhere that the official military brat flower was the dandelion. Why a dandelion I asked? The plant puts down roots almost anywhere. It is almost impossible to get rid off. An unpretentious plant, yet good looking (except for the habit of being where you least expect it.) It’s a survivor in a broad range of climates. Experts say that military children are well-rounded, culturally aware and tolerant, and extremely resilient. But, that doesn’t happen by accident. Behind every military child are military parents working hard to enhance the lifestyle that is handed to our military brats—even before they can appreciate it. I used to worry a lot about our daughter being a “military brat.” What about her changing schools, making Read more… I remember the first time my husband gave me the news that he was leaving. We had been to our first duty station, Fort Hood, TX and then moved to Fort Sill, OK to do more schooling. Upon graduation from career course, Kevin had received orders for Korea. It was an unaccompanied tour. Wrena, our daughter, was two years old at the time. Separation is never easy, and this being our first it was quite a uneasy feeling knowing he would be so many miles away from us. Since we didn’t really belong to any certain unit we moved our family back to Springfield, MO where we were both raised. We didn’t want to live with our family, but being near them was much better than being alone. We rented a small house near my mom. It was a down size from our home Read more… I was given a quote this week by my new friend Susan, “Friends are your chosen family”. This is when I started to really think about the way that military families socialize differently. It’s true, friends are our chosen family. I can make a bet that most of your friends are your military friends. Mine are. I choose them, they choose me. Somehow in this odd and challenging lifestyle, we bond as if we were always together, like family. I find it very funny when I look at the past ten years I’ve spent as an Army wife and think of the friendships I have made. They are untraditional, some unlikely, and most by chance or necessity of companionship. There is a certain “challenge” to meeting friends as a military spouse. First, you’re Read more… |