Congratulations!

I’d like to give a big shout-out and congratulations to my mother. She was selected for a new job today. It’s a pretty big promotion for her.

The story could end there since you’re probably wondering why you care that my mother was promoted today.  I’d really like to share her story since I find it inspiring. She married my father at 19. He was a young MP at his first duty station. She was a high school senior.  They fell in love, got married and lived happily ever after, right?  Not quite.  My mother said “Sure, I’ll marry you but I’m NOT going to be one of those Army Spouses that moves every two or three years.”  So, my father left the Army and got a job with Uncle Sam. 

Here’s the punch line to their story:  During my father’s employment with Uncle Sam and my childhood, we generally moved every year.  Yes, that’s every year. I mean literally, every summer on the last day of school we had moving trucks roll up to our home and pack everything up. We lived in the same place for two sequential years three times: when I was in 5^th/6^th grades, 8^th/9^th grades and in 11^th/12^th grades.   My list, though lacking in OCONUS assignments, was pretty extensive before I turned 18:  Kansas, New York, Georgia, Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Connecticut and Virginia.  There were a few repeats, but none in the exact same area or close enough together to be any benefit. 

As you might expect, a woman who married at 19 and spent the next 20 years following her husband around the country didn’t have a chance to complete any college courses.  (Pre-internet and online class days!)  She also didn’t have much of a “professional” career.  Jobs were frequently hard to come by and when you only stayed somewhere 9-12 months, you couldn’t afford to spend six months job hunting.  She worked a variety of jobs but none were particularly glamorous or exciting.  But, she took what she got and kept quietly plugging on.

My father retired young, after 25 years with Uncle Sam.  At the end of his career, he’d been able to “homestead” for a whopping five years…a life-time record for us!  It was then that my mother began her career.  She took a job to get her foot in the door and eventually moved into something she enjoyed within the same department.  She has risen steadily through her department and through the GS ranks. She’s become a reliable and respected subject matter expert and is sought-after for opinions and special taskings.  She makes a solid six figure paycheck and is just a few years away from earning her own retirement with Uncle Sam. 

But…remember…she is the spouse that followed her man.  She “gave up” her dreams and ambitions for love. She took whatever employment she found (certainly, no dream jobs!) and quit when the next move came. She sacrificed in many of the same ways we do as Military Spouses.  Yet she has triumphed. 

When I feel down because I’m frustrated at my decreased earning potential, my dismal job opportunities and the difficulties I face in continuing my education, I don’t have to look far for inspiration and reassurance.  My mother provides it for me.  She succeeded by being patient, putting her head down and doing the very best she could in whatever role she was given.  She waited for her turn. 

If you are troubled as you wait for your turn, spend some time reading Psalm 37.  Trust Him. Be Still for Him. Do Good Things. Wait for Him. And GOOD will come to you.