Let’s Recon Rendezvous, Military Family!
Welcome to AWN’s Monthly Recon Rendezvous link up! We are so glad you’re here. Just as the name implies, Recon Rendezvous is a place for community and connection. It’s an opportunity to explore and learn about our fellow military supporters’ lives, victories, trials, and experiences. Each month, we “rendezvous” here to provide information, resources, and encouragement.
Do some “reconnaissance,” link up, swing by your “neighbor,” and leave a comment. We appreciate you! Thanks for contributing to our interactive empowerment for military spouses across the globe!
I always prided myself on being independent.
As a military spouse, it’s a good attribute to possess… for the most part.
But shortly after jumping headfirst into this milspouse life, I realized that too much independence wasn’t such a good thing.
Here’s what happened:
We got married. (Awww, kissy-kissy, smoochy-smooch)
We get orders. (Ummmm…Ookaaayy…)
We leave my home state move across the country. (Aah!)
In my brain, it was no big thang. I prided myself on being the strong, independent type. I didn’t like asking for help. I could find my own resources. It was all good.
Until it wasn’t.
Long story short, my transition into the military spouse life was a little bumpy. There were so many unknowns, and I had no one to mentor me in #AllTheThings (And didn’t know that Army Wife Network existed!). At our first duty station together, I kind of separated myself from military stuff, because I associated anything military with struggle.
So less military, less struggle, right?
Yeah. Not so much.
I worked off-post at a non-military related venue. (They supported the military, but didn’t really “get” the lifestyle.)
I kept myself from making any solid milspouse friends because I was afraid of the “crazy” per the stories I’d heard.
Then one morning, I found myself on a gurney in the emergency room alone.
I cried.
And cried and cried and cried.
My husband was away at Ranger School, and there I was, in the ER, by myself, grieving the miscarriage of our first child.
I had only one friend who lived 20 miles away and wasn’t a military spouse, so she couldn’t get on the installation by herself anyway.
I had no one to call, except my family who was thousands of miles away.
That’s when I realized I was doing it wrong.
In an attempt to “protect” myself from hurt, I actually alienated myself from those who could have encouraged me, supported me, and wept with me in one of my most heart-breaking moments.
So with our next PCS, I vowed not to make the same mistake.
I dove into the military community like it was my job. I sought out on-post connections, asked questions, tapped into AWN, and found friends that, to this day, I call my best friends.
They get it. They love me at my best and at my worst.
Now, I know that if I ever find myself flat out on gurney staring at the ER ceiling tiles again, I will have somebody (and probably lots of somebodys!) there with me in that moment.
Since our first married-together duty station, I’ve given birth to a beautiful little girl, who, at the time of this publication, is just days away from her third birthday.
And she is rather independent.
So I’m going to encourage her independence. But I am also going to teach her the importance of reaching out. Of building community. Of seeking help.
I will encourage her to do “recon” when she isn’t sure of the next step. And I will teach her to not be afraid to “rendezvous” with her friends, regardless of zip code or season of life.
Dear readers, on behalf of Army Wife Network, it is my privilege to welcome you to our very first “Recon Rendezvous” link-up. This is meant to be a place of community and connection, resources and recognition.
This is a place for any writers or resources that support the military way of life—milspouses, military parents, military-supporting businesses, active-duty members, and veterans. And even if you don’t have your own blog, join in the conversation by leaving a comment here.
On the first of every month, we invite you join our community and link up. Check out the blog posts. Meet some new friends. After all, it’s a small military and you never know who might live literally just down the street!
Oh, and slight side note/favor: Please share this post on your social media outlets to help get the word out about this new opportunity.
Each month, we will have a different featured post. Some will tug on your heart-strings, others will make your sides split with laughter. But with each post, we hope that you walk away with new helpful resources and a deeper longing for the community that is right at our military spouse fingertips.
So, on that note, let’s rendezvous, military family!
