Memorial Day Is About Remembering

I’m one of those women who signed up for this. Maybe that’s what you think when you learn that I’m a military spouse. I married my Marine 8 years ago.

The truth is, I signed up for love & partnership. I barely considered the struggles of military family life when I got married.

I thought I knew what to expect from movies or that overly friendly neighbor who spoke fondly about living abroad with her first husband.

But watching “Pearl Harbor” or “Army Wives” did not prepared me for the heartache & beauty of military life. If anything those stories made me believe I would be the exception to the losses. 

In my house, we hold each other close because we know to intimately what loss feels like. But despite the heartache, it’s my life. It’s all I know. I love it’s messy parts because I means I don’t take people for granted. 

We’ve lost friends too soon. We’ve moved away from those who were close like family. We are raising our kids hundreds of miles away from the help of family. My husband’s job keeps me up at night, if I let myself worry. 
Memorial Day is here asking us to consider our fallen brothers & sisters. I say consider because maybe you’re like me before I married into this life. I didn’t know how painful this day is for military families in our country. 

Today, forces me to relive the shocking loss of a close friend. It also makes me remember the close calls my  husband experienced in his job. 

This day is heavy for me. I am holding my husband tighter today, hoping this job doesn’t take him from me. 

If it looks like I have things together, it’s all thanks to my community of military spouses who have my back. 

Capt. Samuel Schultz (Feb. 10, 1990- April 3, 2018)