Hollywood, like the others, I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers your way. What is really hard is trying to find balance. Balance between taking care of our families and taking care of our own needs. We can't afford to NOT take care of ourselves. That's when the anger, frustrations, and resentment take over. It's a real struggle for me, but I'm determined to take care of myself as best I can. I'm learning to not be so hard on myself and allow myself to feel and not push aside those emotions that are going to come no matter what. Yes, we are strong, but we are also human. We have to learn to forgive ourselves and be kinder to ourselves.

Yes Vicki, it is heartbreaking to see someone we knew before war and watch him become someone we hardly recognize. My husband and I actually reminisced a bit the other night about "the old days" when we were carefree. I honestly thought he had forgotten about those times. It was nice to know that he hasn't. It lifted my spirits a bit.

I think one of the reasons we stay is that we know these guys don't intend to hurt us. They are often doing the very best they can, even though it may not seem that way. I often compare our situation to wives of physically disabled husbands. We wouldn't dream of walking away from our husbands if they lost a limb. In a way, PTSD is like losing a limb. They have lost a vital part of themselves. So we hang in there. Thank God for this site. I think without it, I might have ended up in a psych ward. I'm not kidding.