Veteran's Day

Hmmmm......what can i say about Veteran's Day? It's more than just a federal holiday where everything is closed and the kids are out of school. It's more than another day on the calendar that has some extra words to tell us what it is. It's more than a day to say Thanks for serving. It's more than a day to stop and remember those who have served in the past. Don't get me wrong....it is in fact all of these things. Especially the last 2. But it is also a day that i cry thinking about my honey being over there fighting for our freedom. It's a day that i miss him more than ever because he should be here beside me so when people recognize our soldiers i don't stand on his behalf, i stand next to him and smile with so much pride. It's a day when i think of the husband's of my friends and i stand with them to recognize their husband's who are gone with mine. It's a day when i think not only of our men who are serving but also of my friend's who are married to these men. Those of us who are left behind sometimes with kids and sometimes without. Those of us who are often not thought of and when we are it is often in negative ways. I think of the children who are missing their daddy's and sometimes their mommy's. The children who are too often not thought of and pushed aside, like deployment isn't in their vocabulary and they aren't hurting. I think of the wounded soldiers. Those who gave part of them to this war and will forever be reminded of what they have lost. Those who are no longer in the Armed Forces and who at times are forgotten by the country they gave so much to defend. I think of the spouses and the children of the wounded. Those who are completely forgotten but are suffering greatly. The spouses who care for their wounded every single day with no one to relieve them. The children who are told they are lucky that their daddy is no longer over there. But no one remembers they aren't quite that lucky because daddy will never be the same. He's not the daddy of their memories. He may never walk them down the aisle on their wedding day. He may never hear them speak again. He may never see them again. He may not even remember who they are any longer. He may never be able to simply hug them again. And yet nothing is done for them. On this Veteran's Day my heart aches for each of our soldiers and their families. We all make sacrifices. We all hurt. We all cry. We all stand strong while we go through this pain. We all smile and say we are fine when we all just wanna scream! We make the most of this situation we are in and we go on from one day to the next. Each of us....soldiers, spouses, children, moms, dads, and extended family. So thanks to each of you who go through this with me and my family. It's not an easy life and we didn't all choose it. Sometimes it is thrust upon us. But because of our love for our spouses we support them and do what we can to make the best out of what is given to us. Not all of us married someone who was already in the military. Not all of us really knew this life was coming at some point. But still here we are. And not all of us are with our soldier because we want his money and his benefits. We don't wait for him to leave so we can cheat on him. We don't just blow all his money on frivilous things. We support our families. We pay the bills. We send him packages filled with love. And we pray for his safe return everyday! We wait patiently for his phone calls, knowing it may be days or weeks before we get them. And we spend every call telling him how much we love him and how much we miss him. I'm proud of my husband. I'm proud of my friend's husbands. I'm proud to know that they are all out there making sure terrorists are not coming after our country again. I love you Honey and i can't wait to see you again! Thanks for being the best part of me!