There’s a lot of stories we are told, and tell ourselves, about the dreams we hope to have fulfilled.
And then life happens.
And that’s not a bad thing.
Because the things you learn about yourself, and the people you choose to live your life with you, can only be learned when you’re living, not dreaming.
We are so much more than we could ever dream to be.
When you marry a soldier, you don’t get a FM or an AR book. You shuffle through a newcomers’ brief and sign up for a few AFTB classes.
Then you find out what midnight recalls, Niagra Starch, “The Field,” and deployment means.
Sometimes you learn this in the first year.
Marrying a soldier changed my dreams.
Nineteen years ago…
A nervous seventeen year old boy gingerly knocked on my door as he was prepared to meet my parents for the first time.
He nervously stumbled through conversation as I silently blushed at the supper table.
Who knew that nineteen years later, to the day, I’d welcome him home from a year-long tour in Korea?
The Army didn’t dash my dreams—it changed my perspective. The fairytale ideals I had as a young girl morphed into realities. It is a lot of hard work. We spend many evenings in tears as we spend years apart. Sometimes I think Army wife life is the loneliest life there is.
Then I remember all the challenges we’ve overcome and realize we’ve grown closer and stronger.
I’m thankful for this life.
Here are the 17 ways that the Army changed my dreams.
About the Author
Each woman has a story, and she has the right to tell it. This is the heart of HWHV, a group of women who choose to support those who love someone in uniform. No matter the branch or affiliation. HWHV believes that a voice can change a moment, but unified voices can change the world.
