Beacon for a soldier

He has been in the military most of his adult life.. and fighting wars to protect us on American soil. Today, he is home.. on the land that he fought for. He is finding the civilian life is not an easy suit to fit back into. He still needs.. and always will.. his military buddies to talk to about the things that we.. as civilians.. cannot even begin to grasp. But.. now, he has a battle within his heart and soul that he is not sure he can win. We all have had this battle at one time or another.. thus, is something that we can comprehend. Loneliness is a war within itself. The difference is… we cannot see the enemy to combat it, we cannot take a sword and cut the noose that seems to strangle us, and we cannot choose who to place the blame on. Where does one begin to alter this state of life and mind that we engage in from time to time?

The answer truly lies within each of us. Loneliness can be therapeutic. at times. It gives us the chance to stand back and get to know ourselves, to find out just who and what we are.. when we have been so many things for everyone else. It gives us the ability to savor the relationships that we have had in the past, to recognize the love that we have in the present for others.. and to not take for granted the ones in the future.

Know.. dear soldier, I cannot understand the life you lead in the military for I have not experienced it myself. But I can, as a friend, be your beacon light to help you move forward as a man, a friend and confidant. All you have to do is.. follow that light of compassion and never let it leave your sight.. until you are ready to defeat this loneliness war.. and that.. you must do on your own before you can take that giant step into the fresh air once again.