Military Spouse Appreciation Day: A Letter to the Spouses

Dear Military Spouses,

For eight and a half years now, I have called myself a military wife. But I will admit, it wasn’t until about four or five years into it that I began to realize the importance that spouses play in the military community. Perhaps I was simply naïve, or maybe I just needed to experience the hardships of deployment before I could see how it all works. I needed to experience for myself the weight of living a life in which time continues to move on even though my husband is on the other side of the world.

We cannot stop things from breaking. We cannot stop the bills from needing to be paid. We cannot stop the kids from needing to be bathed and fed and taken to the doctor’s office. We cannot stop the loneliness of the nights or the worrying or the frustration from creeping up on us at any moment. But what we can do, despite all these things, is stay strong. We can persevere. We can remain determined to get back on our feet every time we get knocked down. And what I have seen is that military spouses simply don’t know how to fail.

When I have been down, you have lifted me up. When I have needed help, you have had my back. Even if I don’t know you, I know that I can still turn to you. You are my partners in understanding this crazy military life and figuring out how to get through it with grace, or at least a shred of decency! And even though you have your own difficulties to deal with, you are always willing to do what needs to be done to help out your fellow spouses.

It has truly been an honor and a privilege for me to call myself part of such an amazing group of people, people who know the true meaning of sacrifice, support, and strength. Whether we are minutes down the road or across the globe from each other, we are bound together by this military life. We are part of a network that not only holds up the home front, but enables our soldiers to hold their heads high and focus on their duties.

I have heard many times that a military spouse has the hardest job in the military. I prefer to give that label to our service members, but I will say that military spouses have the most advantageous job in the military. We have been given the opportunity to grow and change in ways we would not have otherwise known. We have been given experiences that can help us find the understanding in life’s lessons. We have been given a chance to bloom.

 Your Friend,

A Fellow Military Spouse   


See also Military Appreciation Month: A Letter to the Heroes and The Will of the Wife