The other day, my girls were flipping through channels and I heard Hannah Montana singing, “You get the best of both worlds…”  and it made me think. (No, I’m not going to debate the pros and cons of Miley Cyrus here!)

I began thinking about civilian life and military life, and the divide between them.

Some of you are active duty wives,  and some of you are the wife of a reservist or a National Guard member.  (Some of you might even be active or reserve yourselves, for that matter!) First, welcome to all of you! Second, think for a second about the advantages and disadvantages we face as spouses, straddling the military world and the non-military, or civilian, world.

I could list them all, but I’d be sure to miss some. Maybe an advantage is that your spouse has his uniform for the day and doesn’t have to waffle about what to wear. It’s set! Another might be the health insurance benefit.  Still others include AAFES (BX and PX) and DECA (Commissary) privileges. A job where work done well is rewarded. There are many more.

Disadvantages? Deployments,  naturally. My husband’s reserve weekends were called UTAs, which really stood for Unit Training Assembly, but my girls called “Unnecessary Time Away.” (Smile! We all know it was necessary). The two weeks or more in the summer or throughout the year. Going to faraway and sometimes hostile work conditions. Being at someone else’s beck and call is tough. And please don’t get me started on all the acronyms!

Sometimes these two worlds collide. When my husband was pastoring a church as well as serving as a reserve chaplain, he sometimes preached his Sunday sermon in his camouflage and boots. It was those times I felt especially proud at his two-pronged service: to God and to his country. Often, however, the contrast seemed a bit jarring and strange.

Do you sometimes feel like you’re straddling two opposing worlds as a sometimes-military wife? We might not always feel like we have the best of both worlds, but with a little different perspective, I believe we can.

Please comment and let me know what you think! What are some advantages?

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