Things I Love Thursday: MilSpouse Edition

In light of Remembrance Day & Veterans Day, I am feeling all the love for being a military spouse. I always feel UBER patriot and BEYOND proud of the work my husband does as an Active Duty Military Member. I was also reminded today to be proud of the “work” I do as a Military Spouse (MilSpouse). And let’s be honest, some times it is “WORK”, damn hard work to be a Milspouse.

That being said my friends, I dedicate this weeks Things I Love Thursday to the things I LOVE about being the spouse of a military member.

I’ll start with the light stuff. I LOVE my “man in uniform”! Daayyyum! The Dress Uniform specifically is always a sight for sore eyes. But honestly, I enjoy the daily uniform as well. There is something innately sexy about the uniform. They way my spouse carries himself in uniform, the underlying “hero” aura that it gives, and I think I may have had a crush on GI Joe as a little girl. Walking on the arm of my spouse in uniform, is an amazing feeling! So, it may sound like its all about vanity or whatever, but in all honestly,  that is definitely one of my favorite  things about being a MilSpouse.

Lets dig a little deeper though. I LOVE the adventure. I love the idea that the military can take us, our family, anywhere in the world and we can see and experience different parts of our country and our globe as a part of this grand experience. Guys, I’d definitely not be living in Cali without this lifestyle. Is it hard to move? Hell yes! Is it hard to be away from family? 100%. But what is worth it, is the bigger experiences we are having as a couple, as a family, and the opportunities our kids are being given. My kids have seen and done things that I only dreamed of up until now. Being a MilSpouse and a MilFamily makes those things possible.

I Love having friends all over the globe. LITERALLY. I have supports, friends and amazing people that I know all over the world. Canada from coast to coast, USA, France, Italy, England, Scotland, Australia, Japan. It is overwhelming and AMAZING to think about all the love and connectivity we have globally. These are people, friends, who I would not have met without being a part of the familial military community. What a gift! That’s something to be grateful for right there.

I LOVE that military members, historically, are the heroes of our free world. I Love having my little stitch in the patchwork that is military history. My spouse has been away for some lengthy periods of time but we haven’t had to really deal too much with anything “scary” in terms of deployment, yet. But I am thankful for those who have fought for us and those who supported them.

As a military spouse, I am  in awe of the families who were left behind waiting for letters, hoping they came. No phone calls, no FaceTime, just nothing. And, lets be frank, that wasn’t that long ago. I have NOTHING but respect for those family members, and am fascinated by the history and evolution of the military spouse/family.

I LOVE being a military family and a MilSpouse because while I am presented with many challenges unique to this lifestyle, there are supports in place to help me navigated this unique world. How freaking incredible is that?! I mean not many other careers offer the familial support and understanding that the military families see, and I can really only speak for Canadian military, but I am seeing it here in the US as well. Military Family Resource Centres are a grass roots organization that was initiated by  the needs and efforts of MilSpouses in Canada who proved that “you signed up for this” isn’t a good enough answer.  I celebrate the efforts of every single solitary military family member who continues to advocate against that mentality. I have benefitted from the supports of MFRC’s, I have worked for them for most of my career, and I am a cheerleader and advocate for the critical work they do in the efforts to keep the families healthy and thus, our military members ready for duty.

I LOVE the personal growth I have seen in my friends who are military spouses and the growth I have seen in myself. This lifestyle comes with inherent challenges that include moving, deployments and often feeling alone. But guess what? These challenges, coupled with supports ,both formal and informal, continually help me to grow as a woman, as a mother and as a human being in the global community. I AM RESILIENT. I AM STRONG. And when I am not feeling that way, there is support to help me further my resilience and strength. Support from the Wing, Base or Unit my spouse belongs to. Support from the MFRC’s. But mostly, from that Global family we have built as our supports from posting to posting.

Lastly, the thing I LOVE most about being a military spouse, is the sense of pride I have wearing my yellow ribbon, my red on Fridays. The pride I feel when I can support a friend through a tough deployment. The love I feel when the same friend supports me through a challenging posting. I love the pride I feel when I finally feel settled into a new home, in a new country. I love the pride in my children’s eyes when they see their daddy in uniform. The tears in their eyes when he gets off that airplane after a long deployment. I LOVE that first kiss after months of separation. Mostly, I just love the hell out of my military member.

This Remembrance day, thank a member for their service. Remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. And, if you have a chance, give a big hug or a high five to a MilSpouse you know.

They serve too.

~M~