Why does a Military spouse put up with everything?

If you are a military spouse, you know your life is crazy and hectic. The moves are stressful. The deployments are stressful. Living so far from family, always making new friends, and constantly looking for new jobs… all are stressful. And yet, here you are, surviving in all that stress, and thriving in it! You have learned to roll with the punches, always write things in pencil, and change your 5-year plan to a 5 month plan. You have formed a solid life in the midst of a chaotic hurricane. You can laugh and smile, stay calm, and treasure what you have, even when your love is thousands of miles away.

So here’s to you, military spouse, as we celebrate another weekend without our other halves. I hope that you will enjoy the days, whether you spend them with friends, with your children, or just catching up on your Netflix queue. Take a deep breath, relax for a moment, and reflect on all that you have already overcome. And then take a moment to realize how ridiculous this life is sometimes. Go ahead, laugh at it! It is indeed a crazy life, but it is yours, and deep down you love it.

Despite the fact that you can never find anything in this new house, because you are always picturing where things were in the old one…

Despite the fact that you haven’t been able to keep a steady job for more than 2 years, and aren’t sure about your future ‘career’ options…

Despite the fact that he once made you spend 5 days straight in a car with several small children, as you moved your belongings 3,000 miles to a new station…

Despite the fact that your kids have changed schools several times in the past few years, and will have to keep doing that through high school…

Despite the fact that every time you make a phone call you have to do time zone calculations, because your friends (and your spouse) are literally scattered around the world…

Despite the fact that you have had to learn a new language of acronyms to communicate with your spouse…

And despite the fact that far too often he goes much too far away for far too long…

DESPITE ALL THIS, you love the life you have with your husband, and you would never give him up! So hold your head high, take a joyful glance back at all you have come through, laugh at all the craziness you have overcome, and then raise a glass (or cup, or whatever you have in your hand right now) to your future together. Hang in there, military spouse, for 1 more day. Because every day is 1 day closer!