" His Military Wife"

Without much excitement going on the last few days, I really couldn't think of much to write about. I didn't think that very many people would find my days filled with errand running, cleaning and sitting all that interesting. I did however come across this poem that I wanted to share.

"His Military Wife"

A military wife is mostly girl. But there are times, such as when her

husband is away and she is mowing the lawn or fixing a youngster's

bike, that she begins to suspect she is also boy.

She usually comes

in three sizes: petite, plump and pregnant. During the early years of

her marriage it is often hard to determine which size is her normal

one.

She has babies all over the world and measures time in terms of

places as other women do in years. "It was in England that the

children had the chicken pox...In was in Texas, Paul was promoted..."

At least one of her babies was born or a transfer was accomplished

while she was alone. This causes her to suspect a secret pact between

her husband and the military providing for a man to be overseas or on

temporary duty at times such as these.

A military wife is international.

She may be a Kansas farm girl, a French mademoiselle,

a Japanese doll, or a German fraulein. When discussing service

problems, they all speak the same language.

She can be a great actress.

To heartbroken children at transfer time, she gives an

Academy Award performance: "New Mexico is going to be such fun! I

hear they have Indian reservations...and tarantulas...and

rattlesnakes." But her heart is breaking with theirs. She wonders if

this is worth the sacrifice.

An ideal military wife has the patience

of an angel, the flexibility of putty, the wisdom of a scholar and

the stamina of a horse. If she dislikes money, it helps. She is

sentimental, carrying her memories with her in an old footlocker.

One might say she is a bigamist,

sharing her husband with a demanding

entity called "duty." When duty calls, she becomes No. 2 wife. Until

she accepts this fact, her life can be miserable.

She is above all a woman who married a man

who offered her the permanency of a gypsy,

the miseries of loneliness, the frustration of conformity and the

security of love.

Sitting among her packing boxes with squabbling

children nearby, she is sometimes willing to chuck it all in until

she hears the firm step and cheerful voice of the lug who gave her

all this.

Then she is happy to be...his military wife

-Author Unknown