“I cast my lot in with a soldier, and where he was, was home to me.” 

– Martha Summerhayes, 19th Century Army wife

 Let me start by sharing with you a true story that poignantly captures my personal struggle in having left behind my family and life-long friends to accompany my career soldier to places unknown. The timeframe is 2005. The setting is my hometown in Texas, in the house where I grew up. 

 I’m sitting by the hospital bed in our family living room, holding the hand of my precious mother (with whom I was very close,) while the hospice nurse was asking her reflective questions about her life. Hospice had put her on morphine for pain; thus, we were painfully aware that she only had hours to live - or at most, a few days.   

The nurse asked, “What was your greatest joy in life?”  Her mind struggled to climb above the fogginess brought on by the strong medicine she’d been given to make her last days more bearable, but she responded without hesitation, “Being Lawrence’s wife and Burt and Dorothy’s mother.” Clearly, this role truly fulfilled her life. She had lived her purpose. My heart was comforted by her response.

Then the nurse asked, “What was your greatest hurt or disappointment?” My own mind leaped to the loss of their first-born child, Billie Wanda, a baby girl who died suddenly of pneumonia at only ten months old, and through which I’d observed evidence throughout my life of a very deep grief mother suffered from this core loss. She was no more than seventeen years old at the time their baby unexpectedly passed away.

Her answer was not what I expected!

Again, with no hesitation, but with a firmness of spirit despite her pain, she responded, “When Dorothy went to Saudi Arabia.” I thought, “Oh my God!” This was even more devastating to her than losing her first child! I was taken aback! My heart was shattered.

For me, the primary challenge while serving as an Army spouse, was the acute knowledge of how difficult it was for my parents, particularly mother, to accept that I must venture far away while my warrior fulfilled his life’s purpose. I am not alone here. This is required of all wives who choose to marry into the military. It’s a difficult landmine to traverse. 

Today, it’s why I’m creating a supportive community through Warrior Wives Academy. I’ve been where you are. I care. Join me on this mission.

www.dodothyguybonvillain.com / Facebook: Warrior Wives Community                     

Here’s the prompt for today:
What deeper questions does [your theme] make you think about? Tell a story about this in action.