The life of a military wife

Tonight we hosted a surprise party for a friend's 30th birthday, it was nice to throw my thoughts into something other than Michael leaving...but as the guests arrived, I began to reflect on just what we (military wives) do everyday.  Of the party attendees, two guys were away on TDY (business trip) leaving their wives with infants & toddlers to chase whilst going in two different directions; one guy is getting ready to move his wife, 4 week old & 22 month old sons to Colorado while he goes to Alaska for a year without them; another family is juggling their two small ones...one who is sporting a cast from his ribs to below his knees (fractured femur-ouch!); the birthday girl's family - who are dealing with a close family member's abduction; our family & two other married couples without kids...(I asked them if they knew they were coming to a birth control party!?!? LOL!)  There were about 10 kids - if it weren't for the two couples we would have definitely been out-numbered!  But I digress...as I looked at all of these families I felt proud - proud in the fact that they were living life.  A life that not many can understand.  But we didn't sit around and complain about what we didn't have, didn't understand or didn't like. Military wives are made from different piece of cloth - we rarely get a choice in the decisions made for our spouses regarding their jobs, we just have to live with the decision the best we can.  Even if that means living without them for a weekend, a week, a month, a year or more. Sometimes knowing that they're in harms way, missing birthdays, baby's milestones, holidays...all in the name of freedom.  Most Americans do not really understand how priviledged they live -- and I don't feel a sense of entitlement by loving a man whose chosen to serve his country; I feel blessed.  Blessed to know and love someone who believes in a cause greater than himself.  Yes, I could cry & carry on that my husband is going to be taken away from us...but what good does that do him?  he needs to know that I've got things under control here on the home front so that he can do his job overseas and have comfort knowing that his family is healthy and happy.  Does this make any sense? I'm just glad that I have friends who can find the courage to get out of their houses with children in tow in order to keep living their lives, despite what end of the earth their better half may be on!