Something bigger than yourself, your neighbor, even your community!

I was on the phone (big surprise) with one of my dearest friends this morning and we started talking about the phrase "belonging to something bigger than yourself" and how that applies to the military.  I feel like the military is one great big unit with sub-units. We are a HUGE family.

The military family includes all branches. It includes all ranks. It includes those you don't always want to talk about, some you don't want to show up for holidays, and others you wish would mature a bit quicker than they are. It also includes those you adore and want to see as often as possible, those you SKYPE from across the ocean, and those you simply can't get to fast enough to celebrate their accomplishments. 
When you live in a military community, you are truly in a diverse atmosphere.  There are people, literally, from all over the world in your neighborhood. You have people of all ages and all positions on your post. You have children who have lived all over the world and have been exposed to benefits such as world travel, multiculturalism, multiple languages, and hardships such as the absence of a parent for months or years at a time, knowledge of the human race and what it is capable of in times of war and turmoil, and leaving friends and family as well as your house every few years. For many, these types of differences are awkward  and sometimes uncomfortable to navigate through. For the military family, it is comfortable and consoling. It simply "is."

When you observe a military environment, you will see many things. Playgrounds are full of children. Children who are loud; energetic! They take full advantage of their playtime because it is a time when they can be free from the structure of the every day life, free from the unpredictable family dynamics.  They get together quickly and freely, involving almost everyone to take part in activities. Their comfort zones are large and easily permeable. They live in the moment whenever they can because they know things change rapidly. Hold onto "now."


When you observe a military environment, you will see groups of people sharing laughter and enjoying time outside of their homes, no matter the season!  Summertime is filled with barbeque's by day and casual socializing by night.


The streets are buzzing with families who are riding bikes together, families who are camping out in the back yard, families who have sprinklers on and hoses spraying down anyone who passes.

Winter has it's own challenges yet you see kids playing in the snow, building snowmen, sledding down hills adults cringe at. Christmas time is bursting at the seams with lights all around!






Fall is colorful with piles of leaves that are jumped into on a daily basis, bicycle riders and leaf-bouquets that are gathered on the way home from school. Jack-O-Lanterns are everywhere lighting the way for kids to get candy...even on their second and third run to the houses.

Spring is filled with Dandelions blowing in every direction because children are making wishes. Moms are in the gardens with dads in the yards. Chalk is all over the sidewalks, skateboards are zipping by and the cheers of sports fans are heard a mile away. In our neighborhoods, you see people enjoying one another.

When you observe a military environment, you will see women getting together to bring children they barely know to school because the family is missing a member.

You will see groups of people providing dinners to a woman who is so depressed she can't cook for her family.  You will see community members watching over the children who's mommy is at war and dad is out with the fellas for a break. You will see men stepping in as male role models because dads are deployed. You will see neighborhood moms bringing out Popsicles not only for the children they know, but for everyone who is playing together.

In schools, the kids have empathy for their classmates. They share information and teach one another.




They back each other up, and love through the hard times.  They look out for one another.





Most times, teachers have compassion for the students; they want them to learn and don't have to see it in any particular form or progression. Guidance Counselors are phenomenal in their work!

 We are family, and family is not perfect. We dispute and tease. We get annoyed and irritated. We knock on the doors of our neighbors. We laugh out loud. We cry together. We drive one another around. We celebrate births and mourn deaths. Despite all of that, we are not afraid nor ashamed to step outside of ourselves. It's a unit, and this unit includes the entire military community!