I really like military spouses. One of my favorite things about working on SpouseBuzz and the periodic traveling I get to do with Military.com is the time I get to spend meeting with and talking to military spouses from around the country. You all are some of the most interesting and dynamic people on the planet.
So when I think of military spouse appreciation week, I think about the things I really appreciated about the spouses I’ve met – or those I know only through this blog.
And I’m not the only one. Our editor Jacey recently told me that her favorite thing in the whole world is talking to military spouses. I thought that sounded pretty cheesy. But she insisted. “I just LOVE them. All I want to do is meet them and talk to them.”
Military Spouse Appreciation Day is May 10. And you know what? Here at SpouseBuzz we DO appreciate you. Whether you silently visit or comment on every post – we love you. And here are just a few of the reasons:
Your strength. Every day when I read the comments on SpouseBuzz or when I travel and meet spouses at Military.com’s Spouse Experience or Spouse Summit, I see one characteristic displayed in you more than any other: strength. Whether it is in the face of deployment, loss, homecoming, change, or uncertainty, you stand tall – and teach me to stand tall with you. Thank you for your shining example.
Your honesty. If there is one thing I can count on from our readers above anything else, it’s honesty. You have no tolerance for injustice and very little for error. When we’re wrong you call us out on it. I won’t lie – sometimes it stings. But it makes me a better military spouse, blogger and person. And I appreciate you for it. Keep it up.
Your cantankerous affection. Our readers often remind me of Marilla Cuthbert in "Anne of Green Gables." You give us a hard time for gabbing, but you're secretly glad we're here. Well, we're glad you're here, too!
Your diversity. One of my favorite parts of military life is the chance to meet people with whom I would’ve never crossed paths had I stayed a California girl. Civilian life is full of people chilling out in their comfort zones. But in the military – and on Military.com – those comfort zones meet in a giant melting pot. Black, white, gay, straight, tattooed, pierced, athletic, stay-at-home, working bee, country, city, or any mix in between -- we’re all in this together. Life without the chance to learn from you would be very dull indeed. Don’t change.
Your acceptance. I have never been so proud of our community as I was last year when we held a Spouse Experience event at Miramar, a Marine Corp base near San Diego. When a group of same-sex partners and military spouses from the area joined us not a single person in the room batted an eye. Every day I see examples of this acceptance. It doesn’t matter what side of the track you’re from – we’re all military spouses. While so much of the civilian world struggles with accepting that great diversity I so love in all of you, the spouse community, with a just a few lone exceptions, just doesn’t care. It amazes me and makes me so proud to be a part be one of you.
