A Journeyman Lineman's wife...
My hubby has arrived in AL due to the recent devastation from tornadoes. I started thinking of all the destruction, devastation and heartbreak he has seen first-hand over the past 25 years ....
I also realized there is a whole group of women out there who feel the way I feel in times like this and who experience the exact same frustrations I do during these storms.... The constant whining on Facebook about how long the power has been out and I literally have to walk away from it, the accusations that the linemen get their family's power back on "first" (what.a.freakin.joke), the list goes ON and ON. I will say over the past few years, my FB friends have been much better about not whining so much... :D
Do I worry about him working with electricity buzzing all around him and one wrong move would kill him instantly? DUH!! of COURSE I worry! Do I "fret" over it? No, I can't or I don't think I would have lasted this long. I say a prayer for him and his crew everytime he goes out on a storm call. Being the wife of a lineman, You have to be strong and independent! The linemans wife holds her household together during the worst weather times so he can focus on his job. The lineman's wife goes to the children's events or parties alone, when she must. The lineman's wife is proud of her husband and the unbelievable hours he works non-stop without complaint. The lineman's wife is so very thankful when she gets the text letting her know he loves her, misses her and is okay ...but goes for long stretches of time before hearing HIS voice...The lineman's wife knows her husband is a special man who was born for this job, 365 days a year 24 hours a day. I am proud of my lineman and the life he has given me... I am proud of myself too, a lineman's wife:)
Susan, you could substitute "Air Force Pilots Wife" for Linemans Wife and we'd be identical! : ) I used to HATE when women would whine that their husbands were LATE for dinner or werent helping with a birthday party for the kid....there were YEARS! where all I knew was he was "In the Sandbox"....gone 3 weeks, home 48 hours to do laundry, "bond" with the kids and argue over bills, and "connect" with his partner....HA! Military spouses spend a huge amount of time alone and over the years I became so thankful for good neighbors who opened their doors and lives to my family all over the country. I spent many holidays with other peoples families but I was thankful to be included with my little ones. I spent many hours with other crew members wives, babysat and made meals at eachothers houses and sat together when bad news came. I was a total "dependant" when I married into the military 25 years ago. By the time we retired 5 years ago, I was totally independant. As painful as it was sometimes, it has made me what I am today ; )
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