Thank you for your kind words. To be frank, I don’t really know where to begin. Truthfully speaking I don’t know how to explain everything about the last two weeks without sounding totally crazy. I have really prayed and asked God for guidance in regards to this situation, and I’ve just joined WIves of Faith. I would like to write you more, but my right hand and wrist are so painfully sore (and blogging yesterday did not help ) from this past Saturday. You see, I went to the home of my husband’s aunt and uncle, they had a batting cage, never tried it, had so much fun I got carried away using a metal bat with no batting gloves! I felt like one of those cartoon characters in those old cartoons everytime I managed to hit the ball with the bat. Well, I am still painfully sore from the experience. If you are willing, please contact me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX. I will understand if you are too busy, or choose not to.

Best Regards,

Vanessa Walls

(Edited for OPSEC: Please do not post your personal info. We want to keep our military wives safe! Vanessa, I’ve made a note of your phone number and will try and give you a call soon. God bless. Sara)

Where does one begin to describe their struggle as a military wife, and how do you keep your marriage strong? Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Reserves…

My name is Vanessa Walls and I am an Army wife. My husband and I are currently going through our 2nd year long deployment to Afghanistan. We do not have children yet because of circumstances, and that he gets deployed or TDY’d. Praise God, I got to see him for two weeks before I had to send him off again to the war. Prior to that we’d not seen each other for 7 months due to a PCS, and deployment orders soon following. I currently reside in NE Tennessee with my in laws- I consider myself fortunate. It is not always easy though since I am from southern CA.

The question I am always asked- “How do you do it? How do you manage it?”

Well, there is no “magic wand”- but one thing I do have- a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THIS LIFE I LEAD IS EASY, OR THAT I DON’T HURT WHEN MY HUSBAND IS GONE. It just means that I as weary as I get, as much as my heart aches, and though I have cried myself to sleep and feel like I am in a fog the next day, I get through these difficult times by taliking with God (prayer), and recognizing that God has a greater purpose in life for myself and my husband.

I get tired, overwhelmed, and mentally as well as emotionally exhausted. Just because you don’t feel strong, does not mean that you are not strong. Sometimes being “tough”, or “strong” just means you’ve learned when you need to let yourself cry, or that you’ve had too much for the day, or that you are over it.

Ladies, sometimes if all you can do for that day is the bare minimum (believe me-I’ve been there) then do not beat yourselves up about it. We lead difficult lives! I’ve learned to just take one day at a time, and if that is too much, then take half the day, or hour, or just minute by minute. When you can’t run, walk, if you can’t walk, crawl, if you can’t crawl…God will carry you. He is faithful. I do not believe I could have gotten through the last 6 years of marriage (from military to civilian, to military again) if I did not have God to lean on. There are times that I so deeply needed my husband, but he was so caught up with the Army, I definitely had to lean on God. A lot of times Army wives refer to the military as “the other woman”. I figure most of you understand the feeling.

Anyway, did not mean to go on a rant. I stumbled across this website while doing some research, and thought I might encourage all of you.

God bless you,
Vanessa