military life.

marrying a man in the army was not a part of my childhood fantasies. i, like most young girls, imagined waking up to my mystery husband's smiling face every morning. well now there is no mystery to who my husband will be. i have found the man who completes me and we've said our vows. but sometimes i will still have to wake up all alone. its not what i used to daydream about, no instead its my reality. the man i married has been sworn in as a soldier for the united states army. this means he also made a vow to serve his country. a vow that will sometimes supersede his "i do." this means sacrificing his time and maybe his life. when duty calls he must go. but while he's gone he must rearrange his priorities to put his responsibility as a soldier above the resoponsibilities he has as my husband. i wear a tag around my neck as a constant reminder of what my husband stands for. on one side this tag lists the seven army values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. on the other side it gives the warrior ethos:
i will always place the mission first.
i will never accept defeat.
i will never quit.
i will never leave a fallen comrad.
yes indeed my husband has taken those four short statements and embedded them in his heart. there are times when i will wonder "what if he doesn't come home?" not because i don't want him to...just simply because he might not. my fantasies were wonderful while they lasted but they have been put aside so i can embrace my reality. as a military wife my loved one can spend months away and contact can be limited but i'm not alone. wives, fiances, and girlfriends all around the world woke up this morning to an empty bed doing their part in the war on terrorism. our job is to secure the home front until our loved ones come home. and sometimes our loved ones don't come home. yes, this is the reality i have chosen. military life is full of shedule changes, fear, separation, and "whats ifs." all i know for sure is that God blessed me with jesse. he is more than i could have ever hoped for. i love my husband, he loves me, and we both love God. for us this is enough to sustain us during the obstacles of life. even military life...