Letter to a Military wife

While I have never had the pleasure of meeting you or your husband,
I felt the need to write you and express a very deep feeling that I have in
my heart.

I, as a person, am not brave. I do not tackle things head on, as I hate
confrontation. I will travel 100 miles out of my way just to avoid a conflict.
I am an American woman that has no idea what is going on in the military
other than what I hear on the news.

I have never had to let go of someone so that they could go fight for
people that they didn't know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or
understand what they are fighting for.

I have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a report that
another bomb has exploded and I still haven't heard from my husband.

I have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that I loved
so.

I have never had to tell my children that daddy wasn't coming home
tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren't
yet old enough to understand.

I have never had to hold my head high and suppress the tears as I hear
that it will be at least another six months of separation before my loved one
gets to come home.

I have never had to deal with a holiday away from the one that I thought
I would share every day of my life with.

And I have never had to feel the panic rising in my heart at the sound of
a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news that everyone
is terrified of getting.

For the reasons listed above, I can not tell you that I understand how you
feel. I can not tell you that you must be strong. I can not say that you shouldn't
be angry, because you "knew what you were getting into when you married a
military man". I can not say these things because I have never had to walk in
your shoes.

What I can say for certain is that because of your unselfish acts of bravery and
your husbands willingness to stand up for those who see him as "just another
soldier" - - I will never have to walk in your shoes.

I do understand that as a military wife you are expected to uphold a certain amount
of control, but I never understood how you could do it, until now. I have figured out that
you are not like other women. You are of a special breed. You have a strength within you
that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which I will never possess.
The faith you have is what makes you stand out in a crowd; it makes you glow with emotion
and swell with pride at the mention of The United States of America.

You are a special lady, a wonderful partner and a glorious American.

I have more respect for your husband than I could ever tell you, but until recently I never
thought much about those that the soldier leaves at home during deployment.

Until this moment I could never put into words exactly what America meant to me.

Until this moment, I had no real reason to.... Until I heard of you.

Your husband and his military family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt
us...but you and those like you are the backbone of the American family. You keep the wheels
in motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down. Military families
make this nation what it is today.

You give us all hope and you emit a warming light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Because of you and your family...I am able to be me. I am able to have my family. I am able
to walk free in this great land. Because of you and your family, I can look ahead to the future
with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of you and your family, I can awake to
a new day, everyday.

I realize that you are a stronger person than I will ever be because of these things and I just
wanted to take the time today to say thank you to you and your family for allowing me that freedom.

I will never be able to repay this debt to you, as it is unmatchable. However, I hope that you know
that no matter where you are...what you are doing...what has happened today...or what will happen
tomorrow...Your husband will NEVER be "just another soldier" to me.... And you, dear sweet lady,
will never be forgotten.

You are all in my prayer's everyday and I pray that God will bring you back together with your loved
one safely.

May God Bless You!