REFLECTIONS

Thinking more about what sounds so romantic regarding our experience of community in Uganda from 2005-2008, I must clarify my own thoughts and confess that it was not nearly as romantic as it sounds from this distance. We had our challenges in community for the most part because of Jeff's and my own baggage. Relationships were often difficult and painful. None of us realized we were dealing with 2 people severely affected with PTSD. I look back at 41 years of marriage recognizing now how our marriage and family has been impacted. It helps a little to understand that. I think many people are amazed that Jeff and I have survived in what might be viewed as a "blighted" relationship. I know that many Vietnam vets have lost wives and families due to the relational challenges spawned by PTSD. I have to say that Jeff and I have been able to survive by God's mercy and grace. In that mercy, Jeff and I have over the years developed a deep commitment to one another which fosters incredible tolerance/compassion for one another's failures and quirks plus a depth of knowledge/understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses.

These past weeks I've had a lot of time to think. I've taken a long, hard look at my marriage and the man God gave me. Jeff's love and trust in me are phenomenal considering the issues of his childhood (a mother and father who were so consumed by their own brokenness that they were never able to nurture and love their first born, his traumatic war experience and our own brokenness, carrying the baggage of a broken humanity, as we all do. I've also reflected on all the things that Jeff has attempted and accomplished seen in the light of the gross struggle which defeated tens of thousands of this countries veterans in the years following the Vietnam fiasco. I see now a wounded warrior. But I also see an incredibly gifted and resilient man. Even now I watch how he daily fights the shadow of despair and anxiety which lurks seeking to engulf him. A lesser man would have long ago succumbed to the overwhelming urge to withdraw totally from society and/or self destruct.

I am encouraged that the past 2 weeks we've experienced more good days than bad. The darkness has definitely receded. Jeff has begun to re-engage with people and is doing a lot of positive things with increasing regularity. I finally have a sense that our lives are stabilizing after having gone through what might be described as a "perfect storm" (def: An unusually intense storm pattern that catches some commercial fishermen unaware and puts them in mortal danger.)