Friday Is National Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

It started as a simple proclamation by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. He wanted to recognize the very important role Military Spouses played in supporting our troops and their morale, by not only keeping the home fires burning (so to speak) but helping our men and women of the armed forces reintegrate back into society after their duties were done. And in 1999, our Nation started to officially celebrate this very special group of people on the Friday before Mother's Day, which is now known as Military Spouse Appreciation Day.

Anyone who has ever been lucky enough to know a military spouse, knows they are a very special breed of person. According to the website militarybenefits.info, this day was created to give honor the unique sacrifices of the husbands and wives of those who serve our Nation. "America’s military spouses are the backbone of the families who support our troops during mission, deployment, reintegration and reset. Military spouses are silent heroes who are essential to the strength of the nation, and they serve our country just like their loved ones."

There are a handful of women I happened to be lucky enough to call friends, who are also Military Spouses. They keep things in order at home while their husbands are away. They raise their children, take care of their homes (including all the yard work and home repairs) and they do it all with such amazing strength, grace and skill that I have always and will always be in awe of them. They have their systems, their schedules, their ways of making it all work. They are support for and to each other--all while making sure their loved ones, who are often in harms way, are also being taken care of. In short, they are amazing. And in my opinion, they deserve way more than a day, as do their counterpart who are serving. So the least we can do on this day is give them a nod for being amazing.

According to some websites, the many branches of the armed forces have a variety of events and programs taking place today to honor and celebrate these military spouses. And these events take place around the world.

We would like to take a minute to say thank you, as well. To all who serve to support those who serve, we appreciate your sacrifices today!