IF YOU'RE NOT IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER

IF YOU'RE NOT IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER If you're not in love with a soldier, you can't know adventure. You don't know smelly gray PT uniforms that require a daily washing. You can't understand green and brown camouflaged bags flooding your bedroom floor. If you're not in love with a soldier, you can't understand the meaning of the phrase "going to the field" and the weeks you spend away from each other. If you're not in love with a soldier, you can never imagine the hole in your heart when that phone call comes? "Honey, I am leaving tomorrow to go overseas. I don't know how long I will be gone or exactly where I am going, but I want you to know that I love you - always!" If you're not in love with a soldier, you don't know what it's like to say that final good-bye. You don't know what it really means to be glued to the television. You don't understand fear and you can't possibly understand the sleepless nights of endless crying wondering if you will ever see the love of your life alive again. If you're not in love with a soldier, you can't know the immense joy, the uncontrollable smile, or the butterflies in your stomach when you see your soldier march into the family waiting area upon redeployment. You can't understand the self-control it takes to stand on the other side of the room as some higher-up gives a seemingly endless welcome home speech while all the soldiers stand in formation. You don't know what it's like to have that second first kiss or what it's like to experience puppy love all over. If you're not in love with a soldier, you can't truly understand how to make every moment count because you never know when that phone call may come again. If you're not in love with a soldier, you can never really understand how very delicate life is! The SONG - Girl in the War - Used with permission of Josh Ritter