Advertisement

Recommended reading

By Terri Barnes
Published: October 15, 2012

Bonnie Amos said she had “one of those aha moments” while discussing books for military families with her husband: Why not create a recommended reading list for military spouses, and make the books available at base libraries and exchanges?

An “aha moment” for this Marine wife has the potential to affect many others, because the husband she was talking to is Gen. James Amos, the current Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Books on base

By Terri Barnes
Published: October 8, 2012

Having books about the military family by authors who are members of the military family on the shelves of our military exchanges and libraries seems like a no-brainer to me. However, those of us who have been around the world and back know that finding those books at a base or post is not a given.

I’ve been asking fellow military spouses, patrons of military exchanges and libraries around the world to check the availability of military family books, and I’ve been talking to people who work at those facilities about how they choose the books for their shelves.

Strangers and friends

By Terri Barnes
Published: October 1, 2012

An old picture hangs on my wall, a framed snapshot of two girls who scarcely know each other making a pizza. It is a photo of both dinner and friendship in the making. One of the girls is a much younger me. The other girl was one of my college roommates. We and a third girl — who took the picture — had met a few weeks earlier at summer orientation and discovered our mutual need for housing and someone to share it with.

With all the optimism of youth, on the basis of 15 minutes acquaintance we decided to share rent, household chores and bathroom privileges for the next school year. We needed a fourth, and we found a willing candidate on the university’s list of students in need of housing. She lived on the other side of the country, but a few phone calls confirmed her as the last member of our intrepid quartet. We met her the day she moved in.

 
Latest Blog Postings
Advertisement
Spouse Calls Archives
2012 (43)
2011 (55)
2010 (47)
2009 (37)
2008 (55)
2007 (33)
About the Author

Terri Barnes is a military wife and mother of three living in Virginia. Her column for military spouses, "Spouse Calls," appears here and in Stars and Stripes print editions each week. Leave comments on the blog or write to her at spousecalls@stripes.com.


 Join Spouse Calls on Facebook

 Follow Spouse Calls on Twitter


By Spouses For Spouses:
Information and Support