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Posts By: Retired Blogger
I’m not Glib; I’m a Connector

I’m not Glib; I’m a Connector

by | Jan 3, 2020

Sometimes military spouses can get a bad reputation. People use words like dependent, clucking hens, glib, and other derogatory names. What if we started using words like connector, networker, or change seeker?

Every day, I make the conscious decision to be a connector. To me a connector is someone who builds a large network, not for popularity, but for the sake of helping others. A connector is someone who reaches out to others, engages in conversation, and genuinely cares about building new relationships while nurturing old relationships.

To a milspouse, the military community might seem large, but it is actually pretty small. Only about 1% of the population serve in the military. Being a connector allows you to help others when they are in need.

Creating a Mom-Guilt-Free New Year

Creating a Mom-Guilt-Free New Year

by | Jan 2, 2020

The weary woman glanced around her house and sighed. With the holiday season officially over, she was at a loss for what to do with her family for the next couple of months. Christmas movies had been played and replayed and new toys had already become too familiar, but the kids were driving her crazy… so the woman wracked her brain for some kind of creative inspiration.

Limited options, however, made creativity hard. January meant no overspending because she and her husband had already agreed to stick to a strict budget and focus on saving. Sporadic trips to the movie theater, drives to the city, and visits to the children’s museum were supposed to be out of the question.

But while she stood there, feeling helpless and at a loss, Mom-Guilt reared its big, ugly head and nagged at her. You can’t just stay home, you need to give the kids experiences. You’ve got to push past your limit of too tired, you’ve got to spend money in order for your family to enjoy life. She could hear it, but she shook her head and ignored it for just a bit longer…

And that’s when she saw it. The pile of barely touched board games on the dining room table. Maybe, she thought.

The Waiting Place

by | Dec 30, 2019

There is a book written by Dr. Seuss entitled, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It really is quite remarkable how this children’s book can both entertain the very smallest child and yet speak volumes to adults, both young and old.

Over the years, it has become a graduation staple, full of autographs by every positive and influential teacher the alumnus has had since preschool. If you have not had the opportunity to read the pages of this book or if it has been a while, I strongly recommend that you seek it out . . . more often. What I believe you will find are comforting words that can inspire you to do, act, and be as you ought to be and not as Life would have you be.

Finding Joy in the Midst of a Holiday Deployment

by | Dec 27, 2019

I don’t know about you, but there’s something about Christmas that restores a child-like fun and excitement. I look forward to the smells of baked goods, the Christmas music, and myriad twinkling lights adorning homes and trees during the holidays. I love watching the wonder of Christmas through my children’s eyes.

It truly is a magical time of the year.

If I had my way, deployments and Christmas just wouldn’t go together. But they can and they do—unfortunately, for many of us. It’s a time of love, connection, giving, and family. But how can you maintain that feeling of love, joy, and connection when the person you love the most is not there?

We Aren’t Just Weekend Warriors

by | Dec 23, 2019

My husband and I meet in high school. Life goes on. We graduate. He goes into the Marines. Then to the Georgia Guard. Then the Ohio Guard. Wherever life took him, his love for the military followed right along with him.

As for me, I fumbled around. Took way too many years to find myself.

Eighteen years after graduation, life brings us back together once again. About a year after we started dating, we went on a New Year’s trip to New Orleans with my sister and her hubby (who has been in the Army National Guard for many years). The boys talked military and beer all the way to, from, and during the trip. My sister and I joked we could have stolen their credit cards and gone on a shopping spree and they would never have known it.

 By the time we headed back, my sister overheard the infamous “you should sign back up” conversation.

More Manageable New Year’s Resolutions

by | Dec 22, 2019

Looking forward to a New Year often includes making New Year’s resolutions. Mid-December, I get all optimistic and create lists of things I want to accomplish in the New Year. It’s so easy to dream big in the middle of all the holiday magic. Then, the New Year rolls around and without all the cheerful holiday décor, the gloomy winter days start to drain all that built up holiday magic. I don’t know about you, but it never seems to fail that by mid-January, I’ve already hit a slump for a good chunk of those goals and am spiraling toward defeat.

What if there was a way to help make those New Year’s resolutions more manageable?

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