Three Cheers for Wives!

Last month I was talking to one of my Army wife friends whose husband is currently deployed overseas. She was jokingly offended that of all of the freebie offers extended to service members on Veterans Day none of those perks were also offered to the wives of Soldiers. I had to agree with my friend a little bit. In a lot of ways I feel like I'm a war veteran too. It's not an easy thing to be married to a Solider.

As I have thought about this even more the thought occurred to me that in many ways it's not an easy thing to be married to ANYBODY! Don't get me wrong, I adore my husband and I think we have a fantastic relationship but being a wife can be hard--no matter who you're married to. And truth be told, we Army wives get a lot of press time over what we endure, but there are countless faithful companions all over the world who get no attention or appreciation for their sacrifices.

So here's to all the wives everywhere who suck it up, pick up the slack and carry on.

Here's to the doctor's wife who is constantly awakened in the middle of the night when that blasted "on-call" pager goes off.

Here's to the attorney's wife whose life and schedule are often at the mercy of "billable hours."

Here's to the accountant's wife who spends a lot of time alone during tax season.

Here's to the entrepreneur's wife who lives with inconsistent income and finds herself working for a company that may never pay her.

Here's to the traveling businessman's wife who can never get her routine into an effective groove because plans are never the same from week to week.

Here's to the teacher's wife who understands that doing work you love is more valuable than a big paycheck.

Here's to the student's wife who feels like a single mom to babies who always seem to be in bed before daddy gets home.

Here's to the police officer's wife who sends her husband out the door everyday to deal with dangerous people and dangerous situations and does so with faith and optimism.

And to all wives everywhere who manage households with slim bank accounts, who know when to compromise and when not to, and who stand by their man when things get tough:

I salute you!