The life of a military wife was not one that we all imagined as we grew up. We didn't imagine spending days, weeks, months apart from our loved ones at a time. We didn't imagine that we would be making many important household choices on our own. We didn't imagine that we would spend our days worried and anxious, waiting for the next email, letter or call. When I imagined my future spouse and the life we would have together it consisted of dinner together every night. We folded laundry together and he killed all of the bugs. I did not anticipate all of the nights spent alone, all of the laundry I would fold by myself, and all of the bugs I would kill while in tears.

Being the significant other of someone in the military takes all of the energy you have, every single day. Whether your significant other is on a deployment or working on base there is never a dull day. Knowing when they will be home is almost never an option. A quick phone call to ask where the car insurance paperwork is, also almost never an option. Of course we love our men and women in uniform, they make our world go around. Without them our lives would be boring in comparison. That nine to five life is not something a military family often experiences. I sometimes wonder if my mental health is deteriorating faster because of all the stress and worry, and I am sure I am not alone in that.

Our life is a waiting game. For those of us with an end date we are counting down the days until the contract is up. In the meantime we wait to start dinner. We wait to celebrate holidays. We wait to truly begin our own careers so we can support our spouses. We wait to hear from the ones we love. We wait to find out where we might be sent off to next. We wait anxiously for mornings because nights alone are the worst. We wait with our big news until we can share in the joy or the sadness together. We wait by the phone. We wait for the day we never have to say goodbye. I think calling ourselves patient would be a lie. We learn to wait and we learn to do it well, but the waiting never gets any easier. Our lives will ALWAYS be day by day.

This life is not an easy one, that is for sure. I tip my hat to all of you who brave this adventure every day. Our situations are different but we accept each other like family. We understand the hardships and the triumphs like only a military significant other could. Here is to the women raising those kids on her own. To the fiance putting off her wedding for the third time in hopes for a day that her soon-to-be husband can be there too. To the families facing year -long deployments for the tenth time. To the girl who fell in love with a boy and has no idea what she just got herself into. I love and pray for you all. I thank you for what you do.