TIDBIT TUESDAY (ON WEDNESDAY...HAHA): MILITARY LIFE

So, I just realized that today was Wednesday and not Tuesday when I posted my Senior Rep photos and totally forgot my Tidbit Tuesday! Man, I am off to a bad start! I didn't want to wait for next week because I want to keep up with it so one day late won't hurt...right?!?!

After alot of thought, I decided that I have really wanted to write a little about the military lifestyle and what the life of a military spouse is like. Joe and I have been married for almost 5 years already (I seriously can't believe it's been that long)! Time flies. On occasion, people seem to think that being in the military or being married to a servicemember is easy...but let me tell you firsthand that it's not...at all! During our first three years of marriage, Joe was gone on deployments or out to sea for training circuits for just about half of it. He had to miss every single one of my birthdays and all of our anniversaries those first few years! It's not easy for him or for me to deal with. Not to mention the nights that they have duty when stationed on a ship. Those are overnight stays so you don't see them for two days in a row.

Deployments are extremely hard to comprehend. Can you imagine your husband or wife leaving you and your kids for 3, 6, 8 or 12 months? I don't think anyone chooses to leave their family for that long and is happy about it...if so there is definitely something wrong with that picture! The spouse that is leaving feels guilty and saddened that they have to leave and the spouse that is at home alone or with their kids can't imagine doing it all by themselves. Sleeping alone in an empty bed, caring for the kids by yourself, managing the household and bills, and all the other countless things that you can't comprehend are not becoming a reality. From my experience the first month or two and the last month are the most difficult. The time in between is just that...in between. You know they are gone and you can't change it, but you can't get too excited about them coming home yet because it't still a few months away. You have days when you feel like all you need is a hug from your husband and you know that you have to wait 6 months to get one.

I also feel sad when I think about how many military couples get divorced...it's a pretty high rate. I know that many people get married and don't realize how hard it is going to be, especially if your spouse is planning to make a career out of it. But, they have to understand that it is their job and they have to defend our country. As spouses, we have to be willing to push through the hard times and be thankful for our military and what they do for us. I could go into depth about this issue and I have alot to say, but I won't do that today. I will just say that we all need to always respect what our military servicemembers do for our country and the sacrifices they make! And the sacrifices that their spouses make as well. There’s not a lot of recognition for what we do: squaring our shoulders, rolling up our sleeves and carrying on with the day-to-day duties of running a household and family. When my husband comes home and his tired eyes light up when he sees us, that’s all I need!

I hope that next week I will actually post Tidbit Tuesday on Tuesday...haha!