Dear Congress.
On election day this year, I shared this quote by Abraham Lincoln on my facebook page:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”
It was my hope that polarized political opinion holders would take a deep breath,
and move forward with these words in mind to better our country.
But here’s the thing – in my little corner of the world as a Military Spouse, there has been a lot of stress lately.
The Congressional leaders of the United States of America have not found a way to compromise or come to an agreement about our national spending – which therefore has led us to all of the recent headlines about sequestration.
As a parent, there are times that I look at the choices my children make and think to myself – Wow. That is disappointing you’ve made those choices. But I’m sure eventually you will learn from the consequences of your behavior and make better choices in the future.
This is the exact same level of disappointment that I feel for our elected leaders in the last few weeks.
The difference is, the consequences of your behavior will be felt personally by my immediate community.
After more than a decade of war, my family has volunteered hundreds of hours to supplement the existing support programs and resources available for military families. And now, we will be asked to do more with less.
Many of our service men and women have volunteered to serve our country during a time of war.
They, who have born the battle and come home with wounds both seen and unseen.
And you are now telling they, and their families, to do more with less.
It causes me to wonder what value you place upon that blanket of freedom and peace you sleep under each night.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a Military Spouse, is the value of Resiliency.
The ability to realize that while difficult things can happen in life -
it is all going to be ok.
And while I am very disappointed that the challenges we’re facing were caused by this irresponsible behavior,
I know that we will be ok.
We will do more with less.
We will continue to meal plan and plant a garden for vegetables.
We will continue to ask ourselves “is this a want or a need?”
We will continue to carefully save towards our dreams.
Not because it is fashionable to be frugal – but because our income demands it.
I will continue to volunteer to make my community better.
I will continue to teach my children to live by the golden rule.
I will continue to support my husband’s choice to serve this great nation.
However, when the next election comes around,
I will NOT forget the tremendous level of disappointment I feel right now.
February 27, 2013 at 10:15 am
Oh my goodness!!!! Well said! Disappointment all the way around for our government officials. Feeling let down here too
but as Mil-Spouses resiliency is soooo important.
February 27, 2013 at 10:24 am
WORD.
This is my heart, too. Thanks for writing this, Ann Marie.
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February 27, 2013 at 10:34 am
Amen, sister. Amen.
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February 27, 2013 at 10:44 am
Well written Anne Marie. Sometimes I don’t recognize this country we are living in.
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February 27, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Well said!
I have seen a lot of hopelessness on social media posts. I have felt the pressure of probable changes- the fear of the unknown. Some of that is just part of being married to the Military, some of it is made worse under leadership that does not seem to care, and some of it is just me- the reason I have so many grey hairs! I hope and pray we do not give up hope. We have survived so much, alone and together, with our Spouses, and while they are away… Surely, we can handle this as well.
God bless you!
Christina recently posted..Sequestration’s Effects on the Military
February 27, 2013 at 4:28 pm
It’s time for those that are suppose to be leading to lead by example. Instead of giving themselves a pay increase, which they voted to increase their own pay by $900 (now totaling $174,900 for all rank and file, more for higher leadership positions) they are showing that they are oblivious or don’t care that the rest of the nation is suffering. I am a believer that you get paid for a job well done, putting the country and its citizens through this hardship isn’t cutting it. To me it isn’t about what side of the aisle you are sitting on, my vote goes to the person that gets the job done and can make this a country that thrives once more.
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February 27, 2013 at 6:11 pm
I agree with you! This is a well written and thoughtful article. More people need to remember this at voting time, but we as a group tend to have short memories, so they may need a little reminding.
February 28, 2013 at 5:49 am
Thanks for sharing, it is a great written article!
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February 28, 2013 at 9:55 am
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. XOXO
February 28, 2013 at 10:08 pm
Well said! Thank you so much for writing what I’m sure so many of us are feeling.
March 2, 2013 at 6:54 pm
SO happy you wrote this. TOTALLY AGREE!
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March 5, 2013 at 6:28 am
Ann Marie….I LOVE this. You have spoken with the wisdom that I wished I could have written in all my frustrations. I avoided this topic on my blog because I chose to be positive and didn’t feel I knew how to be, but I love how you wrote this in such a positive manner. I would LOVE to share a few of your words and give you credit and link back to your post….I just wanted to ask permission first! Again well done….well spoken and I just think these thoughts need to be seen by MORE!!! Please feel free to visit my site and make sure you are comfortable with me sharing!!! Again regardless, thanks for sharing….it is exactly how I feel right now!
Pam @ The Patriotic Pam
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March 5, 2013 at 2:11 pm
So well said. I’ve been having those same feelings of disappointment. I live in a military-intensive part of Virginia, and the sacrifices my neighbors make are here for all the world to see every day. I hope more of us remember this at voting time and in the meantime, I am thankful to read how you wrote about the topic – so much more gracefully than I would have.
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April 14, 2013 at 12:52 pm
Yeah I have to admit: well said.
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May 2, 2013 at 11:00 pm
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