Hope: It’s What Defines Us
Every military spouse knows hope. Formally defined, hope is the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life and implies that the outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary. From PCS to deployments, funny moments to serious ones, hope is the epicenter of our military way of life.
From the funny or not so serious…
We hope we can complete the next PCS without the cat jumping out the window, the kids throwing up, or getting completely lost.
We hope we make the weight limit on our household goods.
We hope the curtains from the old housing fit the windows of the new one.
We hope that the Army will actually pay attention to our duty station wish list.
We hope that last year’s military ball dress still fits because now that we’ve PCS’d, it can be “new” again.
We hope that our husband loves his care package even if it is the 18th box of Pop-Tarts and beef jerky that he received this week.
We hope we don’t run out of milk on the 14th or 15th of the month so we won’t have to brave the commissary on payday.
We hope that our pay is always correct.
We hope the wait at the emergency room is less than 12 hours.
We hope we don’t “run into” the general’s wife and forget her name.
We hope that our husbands are on a messaging app late at night when we can’t sleep.
We hope that we never forget our ID card.
To the serious…
We hope that the soldier our child has identified as “Daddy” will realize how important it is to stop and say “hi” even if he doesn’t have time.
We hope that our families will understand when we ask them to not visit during leave.
We hope that the knock at the door is not a man in uniform.
We hope our children will grow up “well-adjusted” despite this crazy life.
We hope our husbands return home safely.
We hope that civilians realize our sacrifices and appreciate what we give.
More than anything, we hope that our children know what their family’s service means and the pride they should feel, and we hope our soldier knows how much we love him.
Dear Lord, honestly, we just hope we can hold it all together.
