A few weeks ago an event was announced on the news that affected many folks in my area. An aircraft carrier and its associated strike force were returning after a deployment that lasted the better part of a year. More than 5000 sailors were returning to their families and loved ones. The local news stations love this type of feel-good news story. Cameras rolling to catch every giddy wave and long embrace. Parents deeply clutching their young children, and some holding their newborns for the first time. These scenes are heart warming and moving.
However, I wonder what happens after the cameras get packed away and the crowds dissipate. What happens when one half is now living again with their other half after they have each come to a sort of separate equilibrium in their lives? After the euphoria of the reunion dissipates, how are the new tensions handled? I would guess that after the first few weeks, that frictions could start to emerge and inexplicable and unexpected thoughts of frustration and resentment could bubble up to the surface on both sides.
In the moment that these thoughts popped into my mind, I wanted to banish them. I chided myself for being so negative. Then I felt like I needed to pray for these men and women and their families, for love, patience, understanding, space, trust, and compromise.
