There’s a stranger in our home…
Journal Entry Two
Dear Daniel,
I was just reading through my journal. I sure missed you. I thought all would be great as soon as you
got home. But, I see now that I was naïve to think that someone could come back from war and not be
changed—and pretty dramatically too.
It has been a few months since you returned home. Sometimes you seem like my
Daniel, the one who went off to war, the one who was so ready to take on the world. I thank God for those
times when I get to see glimpses of the old Daniel. How can I make him stay?
Sometimes you even seem genuinely happy. Are you? I am afraid to ask because I am afraid just
mentioning it will bring the “new” Daniel out. I don’t know this new person. It is sad, scary and confusing.
It’s like someone or something came in and took you away from me.
Sometimes you don’t even look like yourself. You look like someone I have never met. Is that weird?
Oh how I wish we could talk about these things. I just don’t want to hurt you. The war has hurt you enough.
But how can I know how to help if we can’t talk? I don’t know if you know it, but I am hurting too. I have
waited so long to see you, but now that you are here, you still aren’t. I don’t know if that makes sense to
you. I just don’t feel that I have been able to see you yet.
I was counting the days, literally counting the days, when you would be home. I swear I almost got
sick on the day you were supposed to come back. I was so scared something was going to happen to keep
you from coming home! Now here you are…but you aren’t home yet, are you? Will I ever see you, the real
you, again?