One of my good friends sent me this in an email but it was for the definition of an Army Wife. It was so close to being perfect for us I had to change a few things and now I think it fits. For my girls--Jill, Ashlee, Tyna and all the other Construction Wives-
The Definition of a Construction Wife:
Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
... Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, two kids, a turtle, and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving to new school districts, new neighborhoods.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.
Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for word.
Waiting for assignments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!
They call her his 'dependant', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .....all while he's working hours that seem inhumane.
She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She hates being the new girl, but does it with grace.
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.
Construction Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.
Construction Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the each other, like others rely on their families,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...
Construction Wives have a common bond:
The Construction Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'career' that from the outside can look like he's a work-aholic...
But every hour he puts in is for his family's future.
A Construction Wife knows she can't make plans around his schedule, he may work late every night for two months straight.
A Construction Wife has sat quietly more than once trying to figure out how bad a job site accident is just by the tone of her husband's voice on the phone.
A construction Wife makes hospital visits, sets up meal trains for the hurt, and helps in fund raising to get families through hard times.
She is the long- distance link to her family and keeps them informed;
the glue that holds them together.
A Construction Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Paint his hard hat pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A glass of wine,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.
Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts his family first by being the first to work every morning and the last to leave at night,
Who hates the strain his job puts on his family,
Who lets her cry,
Who builds the things that you take for granted and she doesn't understand,
And whose boots in the doorway and lunch box on the counter remind her that as long as he is her Construction Husband,
She will remain his Construction Wife.
And would have it no other way.
