Denver (LPD 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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UNDERWAY West-Pac 95-96 Sometimes saying goodbye , can be hard. I

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WHEN GOD CREATED THE MILITARY WIFE ' Piirtiphrtist ' il Ji ' otn a column hv Ernui BanitiL The good Lord was creating a model for military wives and was into his si.xth day of overtime. An angel appeared and said, Lord, you seem to he having a lot of trouble with this one. What is wrong with the standard model? The Lord replied, Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely independent, but must be sponsored to get on base, possess the qualities of both father and mother, be a perfect hostess to four or forty, run on black coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able to carry on cheerfully even when she has the flu, have a kiss that can cure anything from a child ' s torn Valentine to a husband ' s weary day, have patience of a saint when waiting for the ship or fleet to come home, and she must be willing to move to new locations 10 times in 17 years. And oh, yes, she must have si.x pairs of hands. The angel shook her head. Si.x pairs of hands? No way! The Lord continued, Do not worry, we will make other military wives to help her. We will give her an unusually strong heart so it can swell with pride in her husband ' s achievements, sustain the pain of separations, beat soundly when it is overworked and tired, and be large enough to say, 7 understand, ' when she does not, and say, 7 love you, ' regardless. Lord, said the angel, touching his arm gently, Go to bed and get some rest. You can finish this tomorrow. I can ' t stop now, said the Lord. I am so close to creating something unique. Already this model heals herself when she ' s sick, waves good-bye to her husband from a pier and understands that it ' s important to his country that he leaves. The angel circled the model very slowly. It looks fine, but it ' s too soft. , she sighed. But tough, said the Lord excitedly, You cannot imagine what this woman can do or endure. Can it think? Can it think!, said the Lord, It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m. Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Lord ' s creation. There ' s a leak, she announced. Something is wrong with the construction. I am not surprised that it has cracked. You are trying to put too much into this model. The Lord appeared offended at the angel ' s lack of confidence. What you see is not a leak , He said. It ' s a tear. A Tear? What ' s it there for? Asked the angel. The Lord replied, It ' s for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment, loneliness, pride and a dedication to all the values that she and her husband hold dear. You are a genius! Exclaimed the angel. The Lord looked somber and replied... I didn ' t put it there.