Saturday, February 16, 2013

Sister Wives

As a military wife, I hold on to those precious moments with friends.  We never know how long we'll have with our friends, when we'll be separated and when we'll meet again. 

I'll often go to great lengths, drive to great lengths, to see a friend.   Not all of them reciprocate the same way.  Not all of them drive my direction to plan a visit with me.  Or even to call and say they're in the area and are we home.

Imagine my surprise and excitement when an Arctic Tundra friend called today saying she's in the area and do I mind if she and her three boys stop by. 

Do I mind?  Never!

They only stayed for a short while.  Two hours, tops.  But those were a great two hours of catching up.  Comparing her one year old to my five month old. 

The funny thing is, I didn't know her long, before we left the Arctic Tundra.  I knew her for less than a year.  But in those months we did get to hang out, I knew she was a good person.  And someone who I'd like to keep knowing. 

She drove all the way down here to babysit for another friend of hers.  Hours, she and her family drove, to babysit. 

This is why being a military wife isn't all that bad.  Because we get it.  We get, sometimes we're all each other has.  And if it takes driving hours or days to see each other, we'll do it.

Most of the best friendships I've ever made, I made because of, and thanks to, the military. 

The military may take away your husband but in some odd, weird way, they leave you with a wife.  Or two. 

Sister Wives.  Who knew.

8 comments:

  1. Plus, the advantage to this type of "Sister Wives" is that you don't have to share your husband. Heck, they don't even expect you to share your time with them for those first couple weeks after he comes home! ;-)
    I am so thankful that the Navy threw our hubbys into the same boat so that I got the chance to meet you and have you become one of the best friends I've had in my whole life!

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    1. You always right the kindest words in reply. All I can offer is my humble, "Ditto."

      Also, the best part of this kind of Sister Wifery is that we don't share husbands. Well, most of us. I've heard a few rumors over the years that make my jaw drop.

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  2. I need to know where you actually are. :) I would love to meet your munchkins sometime and I completely get the whole non-reciprocal nature of some "friends" to never travel to you to visit. :(

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  3. Being a military affiliated spouse definitely has pros and cons. I hate that i have to go so far away from wonderful friends that i've made and i hate that i seem to always find people who are not as willing as I am to meet up somewhere just to catch up when only a few hours apart :( I would love to know where you guys are now and meet your mini-mes sometime!

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    1. You'll have to email me, sometime! You can ask G for the email if you don't have it :)

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  4. Amen! As a former military spouse I know exactly of the sister wife friendship you speak of. It's an amazing relationship that is difficult to explain and no one can understand without the experience. I don't know that I would have survived my years without my husband if it were not for my sister wives. In fact, though we've been out for 5 years, those friendships are still there, unchanged. PS - If I ever traveled I would come see ya.

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  5. I know I am so late, but I am still trying to figure out where in the heck you guys are located right now!

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    1. North. Where it snows. And in a month or so, we're moving even farther north. To another state we haven't lived in, before. Oh, sweet, heavens, I'm ready to end this chapter of our current stay. I could use a sister wife, right now. :p

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