Military Life Moments: What I Learned as a Military Spouse

Military life is not for the faint of heart, but it’s also filled with a lessons and gratitude I never saw coming.

Here are 6 things I’ve learned to deeply appreciate. Lessons that have shaped me into the mom, wife, and woman I am today.

1. Resilience Isn’t Built in Big Moments. It’s Grown in the Everyday.

You don’t realize how capable you are until you have to be. Juggling dinner, bath time, dead car batteries, and toddler activities during deployments and night flights taught me that strength doesn’t always look like bold moves, it’s quiet, consistent showing up. And somehow, you end up proud of the version of you who handled it all.

2. Having Family to Lean On Is a Gift I’ll Never Take for Granted

After years of living far from everyone we loved, we finally moved somewhere with family nearby. I cried actual tears when I could put family on my kids’ school emergency contact form. As a mom of littles, just knowing there’s someone close who can step in if I can’t? That kind of peace is priceless, especially as a working mom.

3. Love Gets Deeper with Distance

It’s funny how time apart somehow pulls you closer. The “I miss you” texts, the shared countdowns, the way our kids squeal when they hear the garage door open, it’s all little things I will never forget. And I’ll never stop being grateful for a kind of relationship that has weathered distance and still chooses to grow stronger.

4. You Find Some Really, Really Great People

Military life is a revolving door of friendships. But when you find your tribe, whether it’s another military mom who helped you in a deployment meltdown, or the neighbor who brings over baby supplies “just because” those bonds run deep. I’ve made friendships in the middle of complete chaos.

5. Choosing Where You Live Is A Very Nice Luxury

We spend the last 5 years in a very small town in Missouri — the kind that has a Walmart, not a Target. Any time we wanted to go “do something,” we had to drive an hour into Kansas City — a Whole Foods run, nice dinner or even a pediatric urgent care. We made it work—but wow, I don’t know how we did it for that long. Being back in Ohio, near family, with everything we need close by? Feels like winning the lottery. (And yes, Columbus is no NYC, but it’s perfect for raising kids.)

6. Gratitude Becomes a Way of Life

I’ve learned to celebrate everything. A safe return. A quiet coffee in the morning. A bedtime story we get to read as a family. In the gaps, I found grace. In the noise, I found laughter. In the hard, I found the heart.

I’ll never say military life is easy but I’ll always say it’s been worth it. Not because it was perfect. But because it taught me how to be present, patient, and deeply proud of my little family.

And if you’re reading this thinking, “I’m not a military spouse, but I’ve had to navigate a similar situation for my family too”—then guess what?

You get it. And you’re already doing an incredible job.