The lonely life of an Army wife

My husband often tells me that being a soldier's wife is the hardest job in the military. I have to agree. It is incredibly isolating. Yes, partly because my husband was gone, but also because I was suddenly an Army wife surrounded by civilians. I was the wife of that guy who was in Iraq. No one knew how to act around me. I constantly had the sensation of feeling alone in a room full of people.

Luckily, I did meet some other Army wives. But then my husband was wounded, and I was the different one again, the wife of the guy who was hurt.

So I was really excited when my friend Lisa asked me to help with MPower. MPower is a new organization for military wives and families. Its goal is to help us build connections with each other so we have a support system before things are broken.

I shared part of my story at their fundraiser in Chicago. Speaking in a room full of people was a little terrifying, but also fun. I think I pulled it off without making a complete fool of myself. And Sgt. K and I got to pretend that we were rich philanthropists heading off to the fancy charity fundraiser.

To check out MPower go to http://mpowernow.ning.com/
It's also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MPower/109229402448386