In this week’s MEM Brooklyn & Amanda have tips to help ease the pain of missing events by being present at holidays and happenings when you can’t be there.
holidays
When the Tradition is That Everything is Different
I look forward to holidays and celebrations, in large part because I know the holiday-specific meals are coming.
Or, I used to.
Military life has changed those meal traditions a bit. Often, my husband isn’t home, and honestly, he’s the better cook.
Now, six years into this life, I don’t mind. In fact, I’ve come to enjoy the spontaneity of holiday celebrations.
How did I, someone who loves to do certain things annually, come to grips with and come to appreciate that no two Valentine’s Days would be the same?
My pining for the past was redirected to appreciation for the present and eager anticipation for the future.
The Perfect Year
Close your eyes, and picture your perfect year with your husband.
Each of us will have different images in our heads. Maybe you’ll be traveling together, or maybe you’ll both be achieving career success. Maybe you’ll be spending time with your family, or maybe starting that new family. For the most part, your perfect year would include time together, right?
As I sat down to think about my relationship with my husband, I realized that this past year was literally what I would have imagined when I closed my eyes.
Packing Up Christmas, Packing Up Our Lives
Every January of a PCS year, as I take down the ornaments from the Christmas tree and pack it all away, I imagine where I might be when it’s time to put it all back up. Have you ever done the same?
We’ve never had orders in January for our summer moves. Most times, we have already submitted our options, but we usually don’t see our RFOs until spring. The beginning of the year is always a time of mystery as we await that defining notification.
New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year where we pause our hectic lives and press the imaginary reset button. Of course, we know those reset buttons by their more familiar name, New Year’s resolutions.
Time to say goodbye to the could-have-beens and the should-have-beens for the current year. Time to look forward to the what-could-bes and what-should-bes. I’m talking about a new year. And in a year in which so much was canceled and delayed due to COVID-19, we are all looking forward to the first day of the new year.
Milspouse vs. Mrs. Claus: Who Will Win?
The holidays can be an exciting time—the lights, the joy, the hope that permeates the atmosphere. The overall holiday experience can get even more revved up with the much-anticipated sports match-ups.
As special holiday treat, we bring you coverage of the Tough Enough Showdown of the Year: The Military Spouse vs. Mrs. Claus! The gloves are coming off to determine who does it better between these two empowered individuals.
Looks like the match up of the year is about to start. Let’s tune in!
Let the Light Shine
For many years, my husband and I discussed attending a Christmas Eve candlelight service. He and I attended a few growing up or when we were married and didn’t yet have children. Once children came into the picture, the idea of attending a candlelight service sent me into a panic. These services don’t correlate well with the kids’ dinner and bedtime routines. The candlelight services hours force us to drag hungry or cranky kids into a church. Furthermore, to ask a very young child to sit quietly in a pew for an entire service, and prevent them from eating an unlit candle, tearing the paper shield, or touching the flame, is nearly impossible.
AWTR Show #788: Christmas Special 2020
This special show features a veteran turned country music artist, Jenny Leigh Miller. AWN Command Team shares their different perspectives on the holidays!
Gift of the Milgi: Part Two
HOMECOMING: December 22, 2009
Mike couldn’t sleep on the plane. He couldn’t wait to see Darcy. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she opened his gift. He had it delivered to his buddy Nick’s house. Nick’s wife, Kimmy, loved Darcy, and he knew she would keep a secret. She also wrapped the box and made it look extra special, as only women can do.
Six Lismore hand-cut antique glasses from 1957 were in that wrapped box. Six more to complete the set of eight. All of them were from the same year as the ones Honey had gifted Darcy. Mike couldn’t honestly say he understood the connection Darcy had to them. He also didn’t understand why six pieces of glass cost so flippin’ much. He didn’t understand a lot of things in the world.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
Contact:
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904
