Each Year It Matters

Each year it matters – it feels important to recognize and connect with our history and our grief on the anniversary days.

I have no wish to wallow in it, but I do have a strong desire to acknowledge the impact that this man had on my life.

This man changed my whole life and future. Much of it due to the violence and addiction and trauma within our relationship, but also there was so much that was good and full of love.

And the good that grew from the trauma endured is the legacy he left with me. THAT is the power of post-traumatic growth.

My career with helping others, my sobriety, my love of holding space for others who have had horrific experiences – the vast part of my life in the “after” evolved from the relationship I had with this complicated man.

Rest in Peace SSG John G Huntoon. Much love always

_______________________________

This first appeared in The Havok Journal on July 30, 3034.

Shelly Harlow is the mother of two US Army veterans. She has worked for the last 20 years in the mental health field with those who have seen and endured more than most humans should ever have to and believes firmly that we are our own most powerful healers. Her own background and history are the foundation for her work with others and for her writing. Her hard-headedness has taken her further than any degree ever has. She remains a cynical optimist whose interest in humans has never faltered, knowing how flawed and amazing we all are.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.