Following is a striking quote from a new novel, Home Front, by Kristin Hannah.
“She sighed, too tired suddenly to do anything—to fight, to pretend, to feel. This day had gone from bad to worse and there was no end in sight. …but there was something else wrong; this numbness inside of her. She wanted to do the whole reunion over and be a better mother this time.”
The above quote really got my attention! I write about emotional numbness http://ptsd.about.com/od/glossary/g/numbing.htm in my book, Reconciliation: A Son’s Story. When an individual experiences the severe trauma of combat or in the case of my own toxic family culture, when loved ones are affected, normal feelings and emotions are often lost at least initially and sometimes for the long term. The excitement of a soldier’s homecoming is often hard to surface immediately, and can show instantly to family members, who then become distanced and hurt by the behavior. It is critical for the family as a whole to have patience and surround the returning warrior as spouse and parent with love; the deep human emotions of closeness and trust will return in time.
I highly recommend reading Home Front by Kristen Hannah, who resides in the Pacific Northwest. It is a powerful family story, including the challenges of deployment and has much healing value. Home Front can be ordered using the Amazon.com link included to the right of this posting. Of course, I am always happy to recommend my book as well…
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
