Unconditional Pride

I was looking through my jewelry box and found a necklace that my mother-in-law bought me during my husband's boot camp graduation.  It's a little silver heart with the words, "Proud of My Airman" inscribed on it.  Really cute, but..... I never really wore it.  I don't know why I never really wore it, but I just didn't.  Now that he's out of the military, I think I'm understanding it more and more though.

My husband is the same man today as he was when we married over 10-years ago.  He's grown and matured over the years of course, but at the core, he's still the same man.  He's a hard-worker, he's honest, he's noble and he's a gentleman.  The military didn't make him any of those things.  It just is who he is.  I was just as proud and honored to be his wife when he worked in a grocery store as I was when he served in the military.  And I'm still just as proud and honored to be his wife now that he's out of the military as I was the day that we said, "I do".  His career has very little to do with why I'm so proud of him and so in love with him.  I never wore "Proud of My Grocery Store Manager" necklaces before the military though.  I never put signs in my yard or stickers on my car stating, "Proud Produce Managers Wife".  I don't currently have a "I Support My HVAC Technician" sticker on the van.  So why, when he joined the military, was I suddenly more eager to let the world know that I was proud of him?  Why only then did people buy me necklaces saying I was proud of him?  Why only then did I put a sticker on my van in support of him and all other troops.  I supported the troops BEFORE he joined.

So in some sense, I'm ashamed of myself.  I'm ashamed that it took my own husband enlisting to suddenly make hanging an American flag in front of our house a priority; or wearing a yellow ribbon to show my support for the troops.  I should have done those things anyway.  And I'm a little ashamed of myself that I wasn't as boastful about my pride in him before the military as I was while he was serving.  I love, support and am proud of my husband in everything he does.... always will be.  The military shouldn't have been the shove to make me want to shout it from the rooftops.  My pride and support of my husband should be unconditional.