Why survive alone when the First Lady is offering us her voice?

Most Fridays I share with you the latest book I’ve been reading. Sometimes I even have a giveaway. But today? Today there is something happening in the military community that is tugging my attention away. I put my book down and read Glamour Magazine’s Power Women and the Military Spouse Community. It wasn’t the article that distracted me, it was the response from our community. It was the military spouses.

Then I came across the post 9 Reasons Obama’s Girls are Like Military Kids. It was cute. It was a great piece to share with my own children to help them relate to the White House. Don’t we do that all the time? We understand the world better even as adults when we can find similarities between two differing worlds. It was the response from our community that floored me.

If I could say two things to the First Lady and her amazing friends it would be this -

I AM SORRY

I am sorry that we as a community have thrown your gift back at you. I am sorry we have attacked your precious children. I am sorry that despite all you give to us, the voice you offer for us, that we throw it so ungratefully back in your face. Please know that just because they are the loudest does not mean those that spew hatred are the majority.

THANK YOU

Thank you for giving our voices a platform. Thank you for making our needs one of your priorities. Thank you for the smile you share with the world, for the husband you share with our country, for taking the time to get to know us, and for rallying powerful women around you to support the military community. You are an example of strength and grace to us all.

And to my fellow military spouses who are already pounding away at their keyboards ready to leave the hate mail here, remember grace. Remember that we do not always have to live in agreement to show respect. It might do us all some good to read Is their power in our words? before leaving a comment here or anywhere else.

Military spouses are strong, resilient, and resourceful. We don’t always like others speaking up for us because we’ve learned we can survive on our own, but we don’t have to. The First Lady and her friends are offering us a platform, and we would be wise to accept this gift. After all we are stronger together.