The military spouse

Author unknown

The good Lord was creating a model for military spouses and was into his sixth day of over-time when an angel appeared. She sai
d, "Lord, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with this one. What’s wrong with the standard model?"

The Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? They need to be completely independent, possess the qualities of both father and mother, be a perfect host/hostess to four or 40 with an hour’s notice, run on black coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able to carry on cheerfully, even if they are pregnant and have the flu; and they must be willing to move to a new location 10 times in 17 years. And, oh yes, they must have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head. "Six pairs of hands? No way."

The Lord continued, "Don’t worry, we will make other military spouses to help them. And we will give them an unusually strong heart so it can swell with pride in their spouse’s achievements, sustain the pain of separations, beat soundly when it is over-worked and tired, and be large enough to say, 'I understand', when they don’t, and say, 'I love you' , regardless."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his arm gently, "Go to bed and get some rest. You can finish this tomorrow."

"I can’t stop now," said the Lord. "I am so close to creating something unique. Already this model heals themselves when they are sick, can put up six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave good-bye to their spouses from a pier, a runway or a depot, and understand why it’s important that they leave."

The angel circled the model for military spouses, looked at it closely and sighed, "It looks fine, but it’s too soft."

"They might look soft," replied the Lord, "but they have the strength of a lioness. You would not believe what they can endure."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran a finger across the cheek of the Lord’s creation. "There’s a leak," she announced. "Something is wrong with the construction. I am not surprised that it has cracked. You are trying to put too much into this model.

The Lord appeared offended at the angel’s lack of confidence. "What you see is not a leak," he said. "It’s a tear."

“A tear? What is it there for?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "It’s for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment, loneliness, pride, and a dedication to all the values that they and their spouses hold dear."

"You are a genius!" exclaimed the angel.

The Lord looked puzzled and replied, "I didn’t put it there."