"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #18

I know when all the "smug marrieds" were cuddling up and smooching on Valentine's Day, my sister was missing her husband. He's a Marine with the 1/6 and he's in Iraq right now, but like always, she's keeping it together with the poise and grace that she tackles everything with and that's why this Thursday Thirteen is dedicated to her. (Visit her at "Old Man Hancock", her blog dedicated to her husband's deployment. Give her your prayers and well-wishes!)


13 Reasons My Marine-Wife Sister is a Pillar of Strength

1. She spends every day, every hour, living her life to the fullest, supporting her husband back home, and not dwelling on every minute that he could be in danger.

2. Not only is she playing her biggest supporting role ever, she's working fulltime at a government job, getting her Master's degree at John's Hopkins, and going through the grueling process of home buying all by herself (she closes this month!) Who does all that, simultaneously??!! Is she crazy???

3. And she will probably get an A in the class, get a raise at her job, and still have time to decorate her new condo. This is how she is. Grace under pressure.

4. She organized a supply drive at her job where dozens of people volunteered their money, time and dozens of boxes of supplies for her Marine's unit.

5. She sends him packages of his favorite things all the time and always makes sure he knows she's thinking about him, even if he can't get to a phone for a week or two.

6. She sometimes has to go that long without talking to him! I don't know how she does it! My husband goes on a business trip for a week and I have to talk to him 2 or 3 times a day!

7. She's truly "taking care of business" at home. She does all the bills. She stays on top of all their finances and troubleshoots everything so that her husband does not have to have any added worries in the face of danger.

8. She is the better person when people talk ill about the war in front of her, full well knowing her husband is over there. She bites her tongue. She does not kick them. Although inside she is screaming. If you hate the war, that's ok, you can have an opinion, but please know there is very likely a soldier's family member within earshot of your rant and whatever you're saying will very likely make them cry when they go home and get behind closed doors.

9. She is the better person when hundreds of people march down the street in front of her apartment toward the Capitol in protest. It can't be easy living in Washington D.C. of all places when your husband is deployed in a war that's causing such a division in this country. People actually yell at her when she tells them her husband is over there! People can really be not nice!

10. She has a blog dedicated to her wonderful husband, where she keeps everyone updated with his deployment and his needs. He actually reads it when he can and leaves comments! His family, our family, and all of their friends always know they can keep in touch with him through her blog, if only for reading the latest news about him and his unit. She also posts a lot of helpful links on there, so if people get a wild hair to send things like phone cards and other supplies to the soldiers, they can use her blog as a resource.

11. She treats all the Marines of the 1/6 and their families as people she's related to. Because in a way, she is. She meets with their families and she visits wounded soldiers in Maryland just because.

12. When there's word of an extension, she calls everyone. When the deployment's shortened, she calls everyone. She worries about everyone in his family and how they will feel more than she worries about herself.

13. She never, ever, ever complains about the hardships of being the wife of a deployed soldier. It is something she just "does" without even so much as a peep, like it is her duty. I truly believe that behind every strong soldier, is an even stronger wife. That is my sister, AnnaMary.





The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gosh, made me feel bad for complaining with my hubby being so busy with his job! I can't imagine what she's going thru and I am amazed how strong she is! She has done great things to keep the family stronger & she sounds like a really nice person!I wish her all the best and her husband...hope they will be together soon!!!

Anonymous said...

Makes me feel bad to for always having to know where my honey is. I say I worry but imagine how she has it.

Its nice to know that there are people out there like her.

Happy Thursday Thirteen!


My TT is posted and not a fetish. LOL Maggie.coffeeshopmafia.com

Barbara said...

beautiful post. Your sister deserves all the admiration and praise for how she's chosing to live with the cards she's been dealt.

-atomik kitten said...

God bless and keep both of them!!

Gene Bach said...

She difinitely sounds like a good'un!

Gene

Unknown said...

what an awesome list! thanks for making the happy tears flow

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

I can't believe the way people treat your sister -- like the war is HER fault?? Heck, she deserves extra kudos for the sacrifices SHE makes!! (not to mention that her husband gets my deep thanks for putting his life on the line in a way that, frankly, I don't have the guts to do)

Your sister's awesome -- and so are you for recognizing it.

Happy TT!

Barb said...

People often forget the sacrifices the ones left at home make.

Sparky Duck said...

you already know im a reader over there, but this was a great list anyway. Of course it made me feel kinda useless,your sissy is amazing

Raggedy said...

That was wonderful. Bless you!
Terrific Thursday Thirteen!
Thank you for your visit to mine.
Have a wonderful day!
Happy TT'ing!
*^_^
(=':'=)
(")_ (")Š
Raggedy

Anonymous said...

Great list. It's amazing how people don't think when they start to rant about the war. My b-i-l was in iraq for a year... that was hard and he wasn't my husband! ugg. I applaud him and her!

My T13 is up; 13 things about our snowstorm. double ugg!

Sunflower said...

Sorry, I am late this week:-(

Thanks for sharing with us!

I will Exercise for Comments!
Sunflower