Just a Spouse

When I first joined Cadence, the war was in full swing, patriotism was high and I was proud to be an American serving our military overseas. As a Cadence missionary in Germany, I was blessed to have certain base privileges, including a contractor Military base ID. After several trips to the states, I quickly learned that being military has it's privileges. I could get discounts at restaurants and various stores. Airlines would let me go in priority lines, have heavier bags without any fees, and even bump me up to economy plus or business class seating. Wow! This is so cool that our country honors those who serve our country and even those who serve them.

Two and a half years ago, I married into the military family. Little did I know that I was going to now be "just a spouse". I have just completed a month traveling in the states, and I was shocked at how many companies no longer offer military discounts. Over and over I would ask about military perks and I would hand them my ID card. They would look at it, hand it back to me and say, you're just a spouse". That's right! I'm just a spouse. I'm Traveling alone because my husband is deployed to the other side of the world. Just a spouse. During my entire trip, I was only granted a military discount one time, but I was reminded of my "lowly title" over and over.

I don't say all of this because I want to flaunt my perceived rights. They were privileges that were granted to me, and it's the right of every company to do business as they want. However, if you say you support our country and it's military, I believe that should include all the men, women and children who sacrifice their lives as well. The ones who wear the uniform are not the only ones who give up things for their country and I think it's sad that those sacrifices seem to be widely unacknowledged.

Currently, I am sitting at the USO, one of the few support organizations that I have found that still honors not only the active duty member, but their families as well. That means a lot to me today. So the next time you see someone in uniform and you want to thank them for their service, perhaps you can take the time to thank their family as well.

Waiting Until the Right Time

I've begun to notice that I avoid blogging or posting of any kind when things are hard. I want to write about the happy stuff, the encouraging and funny stuff...not the "I didn't know it could hurt this much" stuff. This last week has been hard. Really hard. In typical Mel form, I avoided posting, emailing, etc. I just wanted to spend some time with God and tell Him how much life was hurting right now. That being said, we had some wonderful talks. The hurt continues, but at least I feel a little more free to be open.

Thank you to the many of you who reached out to me as I expressed my sadness regarding Kyle's upcoming deployment. It was so amazing and refreshing to see how God always gives me just what I need when I need it. It's so silly that I continue to be amazed at God being God, but I guess that's just my human perspective that can't fully wrap my head around Who He is. :)

One of the projects that I've recently brought back to the front burner is organizing my college papers and random resources that I've collected through the years. I have several boxes and plenty of computer files that really aren't serving me any purpose except taking up space...so, I've begun slowly tackling the files. As I was going through some random sermon notes and outlines, I stumbled on some notes from a workshop I took with PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) entitled "Perseverance 101: Who is this God Who Sent My Spouse Away on Deployment?" When I took it back in 2007, it was because I felt that I needed some perseverance and it couldn't hurt to have a little more insight into the military world. I haven't looked at that material again until now and how who would have ever thought I would be one of those wives needing encouragement??? God did.

This week Kyle started back on the day shift- I think that will be a huge help to our schedule and our marriage. We still have lots of paperwork to do in preparation, things like "Power of Attorneys", "wills", and ordering firewood and oil for the winter. It's a little overwhelming at times, but at least it keeps our minds busy?

We are seeking to stay active in our local community...having friends over to play nerdy games, babysitting, worship practice, small groups, etc. I don't know how folks make it without the support of others. So, THANK YOU to the many of you out there who love us and aren't afraid to let us know. We are so thankful for a God Who loves us, holds us close and blesses us with people to be His hands and feet.