‘Before quarantine, people said, ‘I don’t know how military families do it.’ Well…now most of the world knows how it’s done.’: Military spouses share words of wisdom for quarantined families 

“Before quarantine life, a lot of people had said, ‘I don’t know how military families do it.’

Well…now most of the world knows a taste of how it’s done.

Birthdays can’t be celebrated as you like.

Vacations have to be canceled at the last minute.

Not knowing a date you can plan anything.

Emotions all over the place.

Unknown future state of life.

Here’s a plan. No, scratch that, this is the plan. Wait, that’s changing. This is the plan. Yes, this is it. Oh, things are more serious than what we thought. The plan is this and we will update you with a revised plan as we go.

All holidays cancelled.

You can’t see your family.

You miss saying goodbye to a person when they die.

You miss a funeral.

You miss a wedding.

You miss your Anniversary.

You either embrace the suck or you lose your mind and happiness.

You can’t see your kids, grandkids or parents.

Your child’s education is in limbo.

The government pretty much dictates your life.

People are in danger.

Ok, also, these things are true…

You appreciate what you have.

You make the best of situations.

Dates on a calendar are just that and you celebrate things when you can.

You realize what’s really important in life.

You realize that time with your loved ones carries its weight in gold

You celebrate 4 holidays/birthdays at once.

You value an experience over anything material because you know that you can always buy another couch later, but time, it doesn’t work that way.

You no longer judge people for having Christmas lights/trees up at ‘odd’ times of the year because you realize people do what they can, when they can.

Actually, you no longer judge any family because you realize we’re all trying our best.

Once your life gets back to ‘normal’ you appreciate everything more. So. Much. More.

You realize it’s okay there was a ‘not so epic’ birthday because your perspective has shifted on what’s important.

You lean on your family.

You lean on your friends.

Your normal changes and you adjust.

You’re stronger because of your struggle.

You’ve learned that gratitude and mindfulness are tools that actually work.

In the end, it will all be okay. Even with tragedy here and there because YOU are resilient.

You have learned that you can’t always control life events but you can control your reaction to them (and you’ve learned this takes practice).

You will be stronger at the end of this journey. You will not be able to see it in the storm. You’ll feel weak, anxious, defeated or depressed and not sure how you can make it. When it’s over and the storm ends, you’ll stand taller, stronger, more capable and appreciative of what you have.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Sgt. Kaylee Champion and Jennifer Spencer Blazier, and written by a collective of military spouses. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

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