They say the toughest job in the Army is being a spouse.

I’ve never been married, but of course, I knew a lot of folks that were. And while clearly being married is often a challenge, in and of itself, adding the Army to the mix makes it that much more difficult.

Then came 9/11. My husband, like so many others, saw the attacks as a call to action. He went back on active duty and volunteered for a tour in Egypt. Our children were old enough to miss their father now. I put a calendar up in the kitchen so we could check off the days, took them both for cupcakes to cheer them up as we walked home from kindergarten. A part of me was proud of how brave we were all being. The other part was weary with being brave. I took a job at an independent bookstore and started spending time with the young, funny, book-reading guys I met there. When John came back things were awkward. I couldn’t stop myself from being angry, couldn’t help feeling abandoned.

H/T: Dan Collins, at POWIP