Sometimes

Tom's boss, the General, is departing China for a new job. With him, goes his wife, my friend. On Monday we had a party for them and she gave each of the other wives a beautiful framed poem. I want to share it with you...

Being a part of the Defense Attache Office here in China, or anywhere, I imagine, an attache or spouse, is a unique position in an embassy. We are a very tight group because our husbands work hard and long and are away from us so much. We have to work hard too, as part of the attache community. We are away from our kids more than we'd like. We host people in our homes, put on a 'show' and often make small talk for hours on end in our homes and out. We hold down the fort in our homes here as we do when our husbands are deployed. So, we wives stick together and become a family. Our leader is leaving and we'll miss her but, as always, we'll move forward and continue the job.

Sometimes...
Sometimes I sit here pondering
Where I might be in life
If I hadn't met my husband
If I hadn't been his wife
If we hadn't had our children
And the love just wasn't there,
How empty I would be inside
How my life would feel so bare.
If we didn't have to pack it up
Every three years or so,
If we never had to say goodbyes
Never got to say hello's,
I guess my life would be normal,
Normal I am not.
I think our life is pretty great
Just look at all we've got.
USDAO Beijing