My world is different

I've got this friend, she's an Army wife and a fellow photographer. She's also living in a slightly different world than I am. We've chatted for hours, mainly at night when she lived in Hawaii. She lives in Germany now, and our chatting is much less now due to time zone and my sleeping patterns.

She made a post on her blog recently. She described her life. It's beautiful. It's different than my own, but in a way that brings tears to my eyes. It's the that true, deep down appreciation for the people in our lives who serve in the military. It's the that feeling of being in awe at that one little glimpse into her world.

Go and read her post This is our world

Go on, I'll wait.








What she has not said here are all the little things WE non-military folk take for granted. Things, that well, I never even thought about before. Like, not getting a say so in where you move. Not getting much choice in where you live in some places. Not having options about careers, you can not build a good career when you only live in a place for a few years. You have to deal with your kids making friends, then telling them good-bye. You have to deal with making friends and leaving them. You have to learn how to deal with all aspects of family when your spouse deploys, then you have to learn how to "re-integrate" when they come home. So many little things. Yet, all of it combined makes me want to fully honor our military servicemen and women AND their spouses and children.

I'm glad I have had the chance to be her friend, and to learn from her.