Valentine’s Day Military Poem

Sweet Tarts

Dear Jackie,

To help you celebrate this Valentine’s Day

While your husband is stationed so far away,

We wanted to share something from the heart

So please accept this bag of Sweet Tarts!

These candies are both bitter and sweet you know,

Kind of like having to let your husband go

To serve our country and be the best he can be

So we can fully enjoy a land that is free.

He makes a sacrifice in the field where he roams

But we see another sacrifice made back home,

There is a wife and a mom left behind for so long

Who musters the courage to smile and be strong.

Though we admire the way you make it through,

Don’t forget you have friends who are here for you.

Whether it’s a meal or simply a chat on the phone,

We want you to know - you are never alone!

Let’s do lunch this Friday! Call us!!

Love,

Your Friends

Shauna, Becky, Crystal & Jenn

  

The Rest of the Story

Prior to Wyoming, we lived in South Dakota near the Ellsworth Air Force base. At the time, I was chasing double-trouble around the house (aka, my identical twin toddlers). To survive those early days, I took the girls to one of the many amazing parks or other tourist attractions in town on an almost-daily basis. As a resident, you only paid once for an entire season of access. It was a God-send for parents of small children. So, whether it was Storybook Island, Reptile Gardens or Bear Country, there were endless opportunities to explore and make friends along the way.

I quickly discovered that many moms (and even a few dads) I met around town had spouses in the Air Force and either lived on or near the airbase. Although I grew up in a large metropolitan area and knew people with family members serving in the military, the feeling here was totally different. I was in a much smaller town with a much higher concentration of military families. This time around, I also found myself in a similar phase of life raising small children. 

I don't think you can begin to comprehend what a military spouse or their kids go through until you’ve caught a glimpse of the front lines at home while the spouse is deployed. Even then, unless you’ve been in those boots, you can only do your best to imagine.

I was raising my twin daughters alone during the day but had a husband who came home to share the load. Not only that, but his help was a constant in our lives. What would it be like if I had his help for a time, then it was taken away for months on end, only to be given back for another period of time, and eventually taken away again? The never-ending cycle of deployment and reunification was difficult to watch, and I was only an outsider looking in. Thankfully one day, I also noticed something wonderful unfold inside those homes.

There was this awesome community on and off base that came together to support these spouses and their children. As Brianna mentioned in a comment to my Sprinkled with Love poem, enjoying a “Friendsgiving” meal during Thanksgiving became a lifeline to her when she didn’t even realize she needed it. Reaching out to these spouses and kids means so much more than we will ever know. I saw it with my own eyes and did my best to support that sacrifice on the home-front. One way I did that was through my heartfelt little poems. I felt it was the least I could do to support those dearest to the ones who were away protecting our freedom.

Have you ever lived on or near a military base? Did you feel that same sense of community support when stationed in another country as opposed to here in the states? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.