National Sisters Day is August 6, and I’m part of a very special sisterhood—military moms. We’re a subset of mothers whose sons and daughters serve in the military. We are constantly welcoming new moms into our group, but once we’re a member, we never retire.
We all face tough stuff when it comes to our kids. But it helps to have a community where others understand the specifics of what we’re dealing with. I was talking to a mom just this week who had said goodbye to her son as he left for boot camp. “I really didn’t understand what it meant to have a child in the military until this week,” was her tearful confession.
This sisterhood of military moms isn’t only a support when a child is deployed or actively serving. These moms also understand the intricacies of dealing with health care for veterans, the often painful process of reintegration after a deployment and the difficult path we navigate as we interact with those who don’t have a loved one serving. We also help each other learn to share our sons and daughters with their significant others.
We are here for each other through thick and thin. We know what it’s like to carry the weight of child who is serving half a world away, facing things we can only imagine. Hours spent praying for a loved one, often during the late hours of a sleepless night, forge a bond that is as deep as family.
For those of you looking to connect with other military moms, here are three places to look:
1. Look around your community. There are several of us in our home church who have or have had children in the military.
2. Visit the Blue Star Mothers of America website. There you’ll find local chapters where you can meet and share with others who know what you’re dealing with.
3. Leave a comment below on this blog. I’ve found a couple of close friends by commenting on a blog post.
I want to send out a heartfelt salute to my fellow military moms. You’ve had my back, and you make sure there’s never a mom left behind to struggle on her own!
