Military Spouse (aka Friend, Mom or Sister) Spa Kit

I’ve been a bit revved up lately. I have a couple of dear friends who are also military spouses. One was a very good friend of mine before either she or I married into the military. The other, a mom of two, I met while being in the military. Both are women who I fiercely look up to. Both are much stronger than I, and someone who I would seek womanly advice from. Both are going through a deployment right this very second.

See, I’m revved up because I sit back as their friend, as someone not going through a deployment, and see how amazingly strong they are. And I wonder, “Do other people see the beauty in their strength?” My mom-friend has two school-aged girls, and this is their dad’s second deployment. I think about those girls a lot and wonder if anyone not going through a deployment thinks about how strong and amazing those two little girls are.

I never hear my friends complain. I never read on Facebook that they’re “missing the hubby.” No. They go on with their lives because as active duty and reservist spouses must do, they carry on because that is the only other option. They can easily spread their sorrow, but they choose to chin up and warrior on. And for that, I stand to applaud them and every other military spouse/girlfriend out there. We stand by our service member because that is our only option. That or leaving. For those in a truly committed relationship, we must adapt and overcome.

I started thinking about these two warrior-friends. These silent crusaders. I wondered if anyone has sent them a care-package since their husband’s departure. So often when I think of care-packages I think of boxes of goodies sent to the deployed service member. But the families serve too. From the mouth of my husband who’s been deployed to the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan – who has been in the direct line of fire - “The family has it harder than the service member.”

I had one single goal in mind last weekend: send a care-package to my dear friends. I knew that I wanted to include a book. Both of these women are well educated, well read. I had to include a book. I also knew that I wanted my box to embody relaxation. So, I set to work and created a relaxation kit that I hope makes them feel loved.

This military spouse (or mother, sister, BFF) spa kit cost under $30.00, but packs a punch. Money was not a concern for me because my main focus was two-fold: You are thought of. Take time for yourself. I would have shopped all around the city to find the perfect items for this kit. Luckily, I found everything I needed at Big Lots and Dollar Tree.

I chose Swimming by Nicola Keegan which not only completes the aquatic theme, but also tells a tale of… a strong female lead character who encapsulates endurance and perseverance. Everything else in the kit fell into place.



I also included goodies for those two little girls.Their packs included:

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (books with a strong female lead!)
• Spiral Graph Doodler
• Paint a Piggy Bank
• Monster High inspired temporary tattoos
• A Zac Efron biography complete with tear-out locker pictures (Are tween girls still into Efron? I’m so not there yet with my girls. I took a gamble with this one.)

Those two women - my friends - they’re over the hump in waiting for their husband's return. It’s in the second half of a deployment when you can finally see the faint glow of sunlight at the end a very long, pitch-black tunnel. So close, yet still so far away. My sincere hope is that time goes by quickly on both sides of the ocean.

Please, if you haven’t done so recently, thank an active duty, reservist, national guard, or veteran military spouse. Families serve too.

Erin Bettis