Life doesn't always take you in the direction that you plan, sometimes it's better than anything you could have imagined.
I’ve read a lot of articles that describe the military spouse spot on, but I am turning it around a little today. Yes, it’s hard to sacrifice my career, raise my kids alone at times, watch my
children go through heartache when they have to say goodbye, search for friends at every location, and so on. However, without being a military spouse, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
The USAF is all I’ve known in my adult life. At 21 years old, I walked down the aisle to a 2nd Lt standing in front of me and without hesitation, I said: “ I do”. Some people say I knew what I was getting into, but nothing could have prepared me for the journey we were about to embark on.
You see, my life with the Air Force didn’t start at 21, it started when I was 16 years old and that 2nd Lt was just turning 18 and heading off to college. It was then that I knew, I couldn’t let go of the boy I was dating. He was going to be a part of my future. He joined the Reserve Officer Training Core, ROTC for short, and I spent many hours quizzing him for tests and preparing him for the day he would go to field training. I was committed from that moment on to serve our country alongside him from the Homefront. I even joined a professional organization in college called Silver Wings, an organization that develops a leader to help serve our nation.
It’s been 18 years since he commissioned into the Air Force in the beautiful city of San Diego, where I pinned on his butter bars on stage as his fiancé.
Have I made sacrifices for my career so my husband could answer his call to serve? Yes!
Have I been left to be both mom and dad when the country called him to deploy? Many times!
Have I had to step out of my comfort zone and walk into a stranger’s home and essentially ask them to be my friend? YES, more times than I can count.
Have I sacrificed family time to help one of our squadron families in a time of need? Without hesitation!
Have my kids cried when they had to say “see you later” to yet another set of friends? Yes!
Do I regret my decision to follow that 2nd Lt into serving our great nation? No! As a matter of fact, knowing what I know now, “knowing what I would be getting into,” I would do it all over again!
1. Be independent.
2. Take care of people is a blessing, not a burden.
3. Volunteer my time. Some of those moments are my proudest work.
4. Be stronger and more capable than I could have ever known.
And finally,
5. Be resilient, not resentful.
You see, because of my time as an Air Force spouse, My confidence has grown exponentially standing in a room and carrying a conversation with dozens of families. I have gained
the ability to let my ideas and thoughts be known to senior leadership when it comes to better ways we can take care of our families. I’ve learned that my core values are honesty
and friendship. I’ve gone from the girl that would stand in the corner and be ok with getting interrupted, to the woman that is leading her own internationally recognized business. A
business that can go with us anywhere at any time because moving is a part of our life! A part that I am grateful for.
Our family is resilient. We homeschool as a way to provide the best possible education to our children so that moving doesn’t place a gap in their learning. My career is online, so I
can reach millions of women across the globe at the touch of a button and share my experiences of self-discovery. Our household goods are just things because we value the memories more.
If it weren’t for my role as a military spouse, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today. Confident, strong, caring, learning, and sharing. I am thankful that God called me to serve
alongside this man that has also grown into a man of honor, respect, and dignity. A servant leader that truly cares about the people more than himself, a man that mastered the
balance between work, family, and friends. He makes it look so easy using his extreme optimism to inspire his airmen to succeed.
