Mom. Wife. Military Life.

This last week I have been like many of you. Sitting and watching the world change at a rapid pace. I have watched the president and governors popping on and off our local channels in between local broadcasts keeping us up to date with the virus knocking on everyones front door step. We all wait on baited breath to see what the next step is and what we can do to “flatten the curve”. Every single one of us (with a heart) doing everything we can to make sure we can combat this. But in the midst of all this craziness we were thrown another curve ball… “we” meaning the handful of military spouses who’s significant others are deployed or on extended TDY’s.

A few months ago we were in the heart of the deployment. We had surpassed the every-so-dreaded holiday slump that comes with having a spouse over seas and then we had Iran thrown in our laps. I don’t think I have been more glued to the news through any prior deployment then I was when all of that started to pop off. I was scared, ill admit it. I would like to think I’m a pretty tough cookie, but that shook me to my core. Once the dust started settling down again I think we all though about how we could coast along to the end. That was our hardship, right?! After something like that, we just gotta get through, right?!?!

Wrong.

We were rounding third and running into home base and the world starts to fight a pandemic. Halt everything. Literally freeze. Don’t run home, but don’t go back to third either. You need to stand there smack in the middle. You can see home base, but you already passed third. Stand there. DON’T MOVE. I’m not going to tell you when you can start running again, It will happen. But for now, freeze.

As you stand there frozen, you start to catch your breath, we have been sprinting for months. Emotionally, physically, carrying the loads of our families. And the exhaustion starts to catch up. But I’m going to ask you to do something right now. Freeze.

I’m a firm believer that God makes no mistakes. We were chosen in this process to carry this load, at this point for so many reasons. I can’t tell you what they are, I can’t tell you for how long, but I know for many reasons it was because we are strong. Like, really, really freakin’ strong. Just when that light at the end of the tunnel was starting to shine, it disappeared, but guess what? It’s not forever. We have made it this damn far, we WILL make it stronger at the end. We have been training the whole time our spouses are in the military in the art of the “Hurry Up and Wait”, now it’s time to exercise our experience. Does it suck?  Hell ya it does. Are we gonna make it through it? Hell ya we are.

I’m not writing this to preach “Oh wow, look at us for doing this”, I’m writing this for those that we already at the end of their rope and need to know that even though we are a tiny demographic, we are a demographic. We have communities of other people feeling the same thing. Lean in. If you need help because we have 89257983754 kids and don’t want to get them out in this, lean in. If you are having a hard time processing this because you were already counting down the days, lean in. If you need someone to laugh with, Lean in. If you just wanna sit on FaceTime because you are sick of being alone, lean in. Just LEAN IN.

I can’t even being to put into words the gratefulness I have for the members of our community that are working around the clock in so many different careers to keep the heartbeat of our WORLD going. Helping. From the bottom of my heart thank you. Tired spouses like me who are trying to figure out how to pick up cat food, keep social distancing, and not get my kids out of the car because I don’t have someone to stay with them, we are grateful for you Walmart car-side delivery people. Seriously, I could cry I am that grateful. Our healthcare workers, Our truck drivers, our fast food workers, our postal service, seriously everyone who is making things continue, WE ARE GRATEFUL.

This isn’t forever. It may feel like it, but it isn’t forever. Text a sister spouse, tell them how bad ass they are and that you love them and are praying for them, then actually do it. Send a funny meme. Send a bible verse or a quote to lift the mood. Just say I love you, because right now we are just feeling defeated. We don’t need much more then just a friendly pat on the back, because we got this.

Keep you chins up, virtually take your neighbors hand and lets keep fighting like the warriors we are, no matter what keeps getting thrown at us.

Inspire.Believe.Succeed.

-Kinzy B