Author Unknown

MILITARY WIFE

The good Lord was creating a model for military spouses and was into his sixth day of over-time when an angel appeared. She said, “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? It needs 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 it is pregnant and has the flu; and it must be willing to move to a new location 10 times in 17 years. And, oh yes, it 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 it. And we will give it 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 don’t understand’, when it doesn’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 automatically heals when it is sick, can put up six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave good-bye to its spouse 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.”

“It might look soft,” replied the Lord, “but it has the strength of a lion. You would not believe what it 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 it and its spouse hold dear.”

“You are a genius!” exclaimed the angel.

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

Author Unknown