Support Our Troops

Since moving to England a week ago, I have thought a lot about the commitment that our military and their families make for us.   I did not grow up in a military family, and I always thought that while I appreciated what our military does for us every day, that I KNEW it was not something for me.  And...here I am, about to become a part of a military family!  And so far, this experience, has taught me so much about the sacrifices that are made every single day for our freedom.

It seem cliche to type "Support Our Troops" these days, but I don't think we can really overstate this.  Over this past weekend, we went to comedy show just off the military base.  Until then, I had not yet realized how young some of the people are who serve - some of these kids are not old enough to buy drinks, but are here in England away from everything that they know.  I am learning so much right now, but also becoming more appreciative everyday....

I found this poem title "The Military Wife"  - I can relate to a lot of this - not the babies, not yet...but its a good poem - check it out:

The Military Wife

The good Lord was creating a model for military wives and was into his

sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared. She said, "Lord, you seem to

be having a lot of trouble with this one. What's the matter with the

standard model?" 

The Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be

completely independent, posses the qualities of both father and mother, be

a perfect hostess to four or forty with an hour's notice, run on black

coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able to

carry on cheerfully, ever if she's pregnant and has the flu, and she must

be willing to move 10 times in 17 years. And oh, yes, she must have six

pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head. "Six pairs of hands? No way!" 

The Lord continued, "Don't worry, we shall make other military wives to

help her. And we will give her an unusually strong heart so it can swell

with pride in her husband's achievements, sustain the pain of separations,

beat soundly when it's over-worked and tired, and be large enough to say 'I

understand,' when she does not, and say 'I love you,' regardless." 

The angel circled the model of the military wife, looked at it closely and

sighed, "It looks fine, but it's too soft." 

"She might look soft," replied the Lord, "but she has the strength of a

lion. You would not believe what she can endure."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the

Lord's creation. "There's a leak," she announced. "Something is wrong with

the construction. I am not surprised that it has cracked. You are trying to

put too much into this model." 

The Lord appeared offended at the angel's lack of confidence. What you see

is not a leak," he said. "It's a tear." 

"A tear? What is it there for?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "It's for joy sadness, pain, disappointment, loneliness,

pride and a dedication to all the values that she and her husband hold

dear." 

"You are a genius!" exclaimed the angel.

The Lord looked puzzled and replied, "I didn't put it there." 

Borrowed from the Black Knight Wives HMM

264 (REIN)

[http://www.angelfire.com/nc/BlackKnightWives/]