Fourth Honeymoon
An anonymous Navy Armed Guard sailor left a diary of his experiences on the merchant ship SS Russell A. Alger . In November 1944 the Alger set sail from New York City as part of a larger convoy headed across the Atlantic to North Africa and Belgium. This was the beginning of another long separation between a young sailor and his wife. After saying goodbye to her he wrote these words:
As I watched New York’s famous skyline fade from view in the dim, early morning light I recounted the many happy hours Margaret and I spent together in the brief period of just less than two weeks that had slipped away during the stay in port preceding the journey that had just started. We had jokingly referred to it as our “fourth honeymoon,” since ours was a wartime marriage and each subsequent meeting was another honeymoon. We were so accustomed to these brief meetings, with the necessity for living each moment to its fullest, that sometime we caught ourselves wondering what it will be like to live in a peaceful world without the tender farewells and joyous meetings. I am certain that the meeting, however brief, is so much better than being away from each other for a year or more. I fear that there will be many adjustments that will have to be made when the war is over, especially amongst those couples who have been separated for long periods.505
We can call this “looking on the bright side.” This young man had many reasons to feel sorry for himself. Repeated separations were painful for him and his wife. However, he was wise enough to realize that many wartime separations were measured in years rather than months. Others were having an even harder time.
We need this same perspective as we deal with our own problems from day to day. No matter how difficult our situation, we can be confident that it could be worse. More importantly, no matter how difficult our situation, there is always much for which we can be thankful. A thankful heart is more pleasing to God than one preoccupied with problems, and thankfulness can be the perfect basis for a growing relationship with him.
Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
—Psalms 30:4–5