Human nature is quite perplexing.
The old saying, “you never recognize a good thing until it’s gone,” seems to be more than just a cliche disguised as an, “I told you so,” in a moment of misfortune or longing.
In an age when news stories, individual experiences and a vast array of documentary material are all at our fingertips, we, especially military spouses, are beginning to recognize the importance of telling our own personal histories.
But as part of this movement, we aren’t just telling the “happily ever afters,” or the sugar coated (sometimes a little fabricated) fairytales, we are documenting the hours of hurt and heartache.
Why? The answer: the value lessons embedded in times of opposition.
Something happened in recent history that allowed non-military affiliated society a very small glimpse into our windows. With the release of the popular motion picture American Sniper, and other similar accounts like Lone Surviver, audiences were introduced to the intricately chaotic weavings of military family life- the hard part.
Yes, we all cry when we see the homecoming videos at baseball games, moms and dads that surprise their children in the school lunchroom, or the surprise appearances of beautifully dressed service members running to their patient companions, but what about the other end of the spectrum?
What about the heartbreaking goodbyes?
More and more members of our community are starting to tell the not-so-happily-ever part of our stories and they are telling it through photographs. While some of us may deem departure photos inappropriate, the rest of us label them absolutely necessary.
Why would we want to remember the heartbreak at wartime?
The best answer I can supply to this query is this: to enable us to cherish and be grateful for the beauty of peace (at home) time.
