The good Lord was creating a model for Military Wives and He was into His sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and she said, "Lord, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"
The Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely independent, possess the qualities of both a Mother and Father, be a perfect hostess to four or forty with one hour's notice, run on black coffee, be able to handle every emergency without a manual, be able to carry on cheerfully, even if she is pregnant or has the flu, and she must be willing to move to a new location 10 times in 17 years....and oh, yes, she must have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head. "Six pairs of hands? No way." The Lord continued, "Don't worry. We will make other Military Wives to help her. And, 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's overworked and tired, and be large enough to say she understands when she doesn't, and say 'I love you' regardless."
"Lord," said the angel, touching his arm gently, "go to bed and 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 is sick, can put up with six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave good-bye to her husband from a pier, a runway, or a depot, and understand why it is important he leave."
The angel circled the model of the Military Wife, looked at it closely and sighed, "It looks fine, but it's too soft."
"She might look soft," replied the Lord, "but she has the strength of a lion. You cannot believe what she can endure."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her fingers across the cheek of the Lord's creation. "There is 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 is it there for?" asked the angel. The Lord replied, "It's for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment, pride, loneliness and a dedication to all the values that she holds dear."
"You are a Genius!!" exclaimed the angel.
The Lord looked puzzled and replied, "I didn't put it there."