Green Is As Green Does

The shock of no longer being part of a big, green family came over me slowly. My husband had retired from the Army after serving his country for 27 years. I have always felt the Army was my green space. We do care more and waste less. We do care more about people, that is why we do what we do and we waste less of our time and energy on things that do not matter.

I had never thought about the differences-good and bad, of being an Army wife and raising two Army Brats. Most of the differences were positive: making friends, living in exotic locales, having to depend on my husband and kids because there was no one else…

Army wives all share one thing in common; we are away from family and have to substitute rushed friendships that we have just made. Moving into quarters in Seoul, Korea, I had barely met my neighbor. I had asked to borrow sheets until mine came in the hold baggage shipment. The next week her father-in-law passed away and she and her husband flew back to the States for the funeral. For the next three weeks, I was the sole caretaker of her three teenage sons. Needless to say, we are close friends to this day. She returned the favor by being my best friend for the rest of the tour.

I remember the Christmas we had invited several couples over to our tiny Korean apartment for dinner. Our kitchen did not have an oven. I borrowed one from another American couple on the 11th floor. I was constantly running up four flights of stairs to check on my pies. I was 8 months pregnant, the whole day was a comedy of errors, but the memories made and the hilarity of the situation are woven into the treasure trove of family stories passed down to our children.

Now the differences don’t seem as pronounced. I did miss growing up with my family. When I left home, my younger sister was in the fifth grade, she just had her fortieth birthday. I don’t share many of the memories they have. I have missed every reunion, and one sister even married and divorced and I never met her mate. My kids don’t know their cousins, but I have the warmth of my husband’s closeness and my children’s soothing kisses and the green blanket of a life lived serving others to comfort me.