Oh… Military Life! This is likely what brought you to Mission: Milspouse in the first place. It is what binds the military community together with its wildly unique lifestyle.
Whether you are here to learn how to better live in this military life, how to support a loved one who is living the military lifestyle, or to see if this lifestyle is something you may like to be a part of, you have come to the right place.
Here at Mission: Milispouse the military lifestyle is what inspires us, drives our home lives, our moves, and our service member’s career, and gives us a camaraderie like no other. So welcome friend, take a seat and read more about all things that make us who we are and make the military lifestyle a life like no other!
Happy November! There is no set time or place for gratitude—it’s welcome anytime, anywhere. However, November is traditionally a month for more widespread thankfulness.
Last year, I was sincerely thankful for hitting my one year writing anniversary with AWN. You may even notice my piece from last year started off the exact same way, “Happy November!” You will be hard pressed to find ways to separate gratitude from happy.
Last week, I challenged my high school juniors to take Robert Frost’s most celebrated poem and write their own version. The assignment instructed them to write about being faced with a decision, something they were unsure of, but might change them in some way.
The only catch was that they had to follow the same rhyme scheme modeled in the poem, and they had to keep the last original line.
What if we had the ability to change the world? Would you do it? Would you be that person to impact another person’s life? Well, we can! I think Uncle Sam said it best, “I Want You!” But, really WE WANT YOU. You are probably wondering what we want you for.
We want you to join our movement. The movement is easy. All it involves is kindness.
OK, so now you might be thinking, “That doesn’t seem too hard. I am a kind person. Where did this idea come from?”
For those just entering military life, either as a spouse or significant other of a service member, it can be overwhelming. There are so many things we need to learn, sometimes quickly, and it’s shocking when the military tells us where we’re moving. We get comfortable in a location, but then we move on. We must find ways to adapt and overcome the obstacles.
But as I often say in my writing, remember that there is a “you” here, even when you have to quit your job and move to a new location to potentially start over. Again.
While it doesn’t get easier saying good bye and uprooting once every two or three years or fitting ourselves into military life, we can certainly get better at coping with it. One of the best ways is by empowering ourselves in this military life.
We hear the word “empowerment” a lot—almost as much as we hear “resilience”—and sometimes, the meaning gets lost in the repetitive use of these words. Although it has become a buzzword, because it’s important.
It was a dark and stormy night…
It had been a long day, and I was grateful the kids were finally in bed. Hubs was gone to the field and not due home for a couple more days. I sat on the couch in the dark, regretting my bad life decision to finish the last of my suspense novel when home alone. I mean, it wasn’t that scary, but between the unexpected ending, the lightning cracking outside in the fall thunderstorm just a few days before Halloween…I was a bit jumpy.
Suddenly, I heard a dull roaring sound. Did I lock all the doors? I know I did…but maybe I should double check.
Before I could check the locks, I heard footsteps. Oh man…I’m not making this up!
Most days, I arrive at my job rushed and frantic in spite of my best efforts to get up on the first alarm and my best intentions to not check my email before I even roll out of bed.
I am a work in progress on both accounts.
But when I enter my classroom every morning, my eyes automatically connect with three posters that I have strategically placed to inspire my students when they walk in the room. My students need to see the words on the three posters. They have faced much adversity in their young lives, and sometimes they just need some encouragement.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904