Quality vs. Quantity

Our Labor of Love Photo

While people were over for my husbands birthday this weekend, I got into a good conversation with my, best friend down here at Ft. Rucker, husband. We talked about the military community and making friends while we could move at any moment, and could live in cities that don't have a strong military community/understanding for what we go through (for us guard folks).

He started off by saying how happy he was that his wife and I were such good friends. I was a little shocked that he said that, but happy that he did. Then, he went on to say that if her and I knew each other in college that we would have been friends there too, maybe even inseparable. Once again, surprised, but happy. I also agreed with him on both of those accounts and let him know, that for us Army wives, to have a close friend in this crazy world of ours makes it so much easier.

Not to mention, the friendship and bond he and my husband have formed since going through flight school together, is also amazing. The two of them will always be there for each other and, as both guys have put it at separate times, would be there in an instant if anything ever happened.

The conversation then went to a more overall conversation about friendship. They, like me and my husband, know a lot of people, and are friendly with everyone they meet. However, we would both rather have a small group of quality friends than a million of them.

In the military, I think this type of friendship outlook is more important than ever. We need our own close and small nit group that knows us and what we have gone through, and more importantly share what we are about to go through.

I am so thankful for her for this, and many other reasons. I know, no matter where she and I go we will make other friends, even some close ones, but her and I have been through this Army ride together since the very beginning.

The conversation came to a close by him telling me that I am going to have it harder than the active duty wives because my husband and I are guard. I never thought about it until that moment, but it's true. When they leave Ft. Rucker, they will be stationed at another Army base, where they live and are emerged in the Army community. My husband and I, however, will be back in the "real world," and while we have the guard family, we will be dealing with a non-army community. The friends I make won't understand what we went through at Ft. Rucker and the challenges ahead. No, I am not saying they will not be supportive or there for me when I need them, but like my husbands friend from home said after visiting this weekend, he would never get what I went through if he had not come down.

This again makes me so happy and grateful for the quality friendships I have made, not only here at Ft. Rucker, but in life. I consider my friends my sisters and would do anything for them. I also know, that throughout the journey I have a head of me, there are more quality friendships to be made.