The month of the military child is April

To all you military children, this month is set aside to celebrate your courage, perseverance and tenacity.
It makes perfect sense that the official flower of the military child is a dandelion. They take root and bloom almost anywhere the wind carries them. It isn’t unusual for a military child to go to a multitude of schools in different states by the time they graduate.
May is Military Spouse Appreciation Month. The official flower is a sunflower. This makes sense as well. The spouse keeps the household running when the other parent is deployed. They must keep up cheer in the household for the sake of the kids.
In our family, dad was once stationed overseas for almost two years. He also spent a year in Vietnam. As young as we were, we knew the danger he was in there. Mom was like a sunflower--beautiful, cheery, strong and bright.
I just recently learned that willow trees represent military teens because “They take root readily, from cuttings or where broken branches lie on the ground. Their wood is pliant yet tough. Their roots have a remarkable toughness and size. They’re among the earliest plants to leaf out in spring and the last to drop their leaves in autumn.”
As a child gets older, adjusting to a new location is harder. Imagine joining a group of teens that have known each other since kindergarten. They are already established, then you are plopped among them.
The willow’s bark is tough and pliant. The leaves are the first to come in the spring and last to leave in the fall.
When we see a Veteran, may we always remember the family that served as well. The dandelion, the sunflower and the willow tree. God bless them all.