The inimitable Chaplain John Morris, quoted in the equally inimitable Pine Journal of Cloquet, Minnesota, as it wraps up its four part series on returning veterans, called "The Long Road Home," had these highly quotable things to say, in an article published today:
“Going into combat is a little like canoeing across the lake of life,” said Morris. “When you leave for war, it’s like standing up in the canoe and upsetting the balance of family life. While you’re gone, your family takes over the paddling, but when you return, you’re likely to jump out of that canoe and flip it, swamping it. Many families have been faced with bailing out that canoe, and they suffer extreme duress over something they thought would be joyful. A lot of families can become exhausted from paddling that canoe through life.”
"He encouraged returning soldiers to seek whatever help they need so they can make a successful adjustment back into the life of the community. And if the community is committed to helping them, he said, that period of readjustment faces a much greater chance of success."
The article also concluded that it was wiser for "anyone seeking advice and direction ... to contact any of these resources rather than to try to “tough it out” on their own. (The resources are very Minnesota-specific, but the concept is good overall). Kudos to the Pine Journal on a truly excellent, yet homespun series of practical, well-written articles, that should be a guide for other papers nationally to do the same.
