You're So Strong!

I hear a lot, from various people, "You're such a strong person." I couldn't do it." "I wouldn't be able to be away from my husband that long." And then...on TV this evening, I hear, "Family is so important to us...I could never leave my children." My gosh...where do I start??

I guess I'll start with people telling me how strong I am. Thank you. Truly, from the heart, thank you. I appreciate the complement. But actually, I'm just a wife and a mom who agreed to follow my husband into his Army career. That's it. I knew I'd have to be a "single" mom for periods of time. It's not easy but any loving, caring, wife and mother would do it given the situation. Now, onto, "I wouldn't be able to be away from my husband that long." Well...let me tell ya. I didn't grow up thinking, "You know, I can't wait to grow up to be an Army wife and send my husband off to war for a year at a time." Just wasn't a thought in my head, KWIM?? Enough said about that, I suppose.

Now, onto the statement that really got me going on this topic. The show I was watching was "Quints by Surprise". The husband said, "Family is so important to us...I could never leave my children." The first thought that comes to mind is, "Well then thank GOD there are people like my husband who decide to do it...so YOU don't get drafted. But when I step back from that nasty thought of mine, I would say that I certainly hope everyone loves their children. Yes, my husband laces up his combat boots not because he WANTS to leave his family but because he wants his family to be safe in this great nation. He wants to experience so that he can start a career in law enforcement once he's out of the Army. NEVER has he thought, "Oh man, I cannot WAIT TO DEPLOY because I don't love my family."

I'm tired. That's my rant of the evening. I am ready for bed tonight. After hearing that statement, I needed to write down how I felt. Sometimes I wish people would think before they speak. Most of the time though, they say these things not because they're trying to be hurtful but because they don't understand this life style. It's a whole lot different from civilian life, that's for sure.

As always, please keep praying for my husband and all the troops overseas tonight fighting for our freedom...so we don't have to.

Goodnight!