Shifting Sands

Here I sit on my bed looking at my 10 x 12 piece of the world. I have no idea whatsoever to write tonight. After coming down from yesterday’s good news, I can’t think of a single thing about the day worth writing about and I’ve sat here for twenty minutes staring at the walls.

Last year our pastor at Grand Avenue did a long series on all the Jewish holidays. Taking one a week, he explained how each holy day pointed to Christ and His return. Last New Year’s one of our resolutions as a family was that we’d try to practice all the Jewish holy days as a way to learn about their faith and more importantly, to learn more about Christ. I think part of the reasons God instructed families to celebrate these holidays was because children love them, and the rich traditions are easily understood and absorbed by children. Unfortunately though, we only made it through Passover before I had to come over here.

Yesterday however was the Day of Atonement. It’s the one day a year when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and offer blood as atonement for the peoples’ sins. Through that, God showed the people mercy. We found it pretty cool than that was also the day we received the gracious news of Stephen’s health.

As for today, it was more like Groundhog Day. Army life has a tendency to be cyclical anyway. Whatever you do in your life to maintain order, the Army takes it to absurd extremes. When I was a recruiting company commander, your day planner was an inspectable item and to remain on file for two years. Every minute of every day had to be accounted for there.  Well, today is Friday and Friday means we do x, y, and z. Spontaneity is not an Army value. I sat in a video conference at the close of the day today and it was sooooooo painful. It felt like I was in Charlie Brown’s classroom listening to the indecipherable voice of his teacher. To make it worse, one of the main briefers knew nothing about the topic of the day and it became worse and worse. It was so embarassing it was uncomfortable for everyone. It was one of those times when you’re stuck watching a train wreck and can’t do anything to avert it. I kept waiting for the crickets to chirp and tumble weeds to blow across the room it was so eerily awkward.

Tonight was also Steak and Lobster night. I don’t do seafood and the steak was well….not so good. It was more of a platform on which to consume A1 steak sauce. The Jello wasn’t bad though.

Does this all sound familiar? It sure does to me. I am counting the days now till this is over. Last week we had a car bomb blow up at the gate near my office. Tonight I got to listen to someone in Virginia lecture us about how they really don’t understand our requirements for stuff over here. I wanted to email him some of the videos I watched yesterday but instead emailed him off line and said, “Just ask, and I’ll fill you in”.

At some point in every job you start to feel like the flunkee in high school. All your friends have rotated out and moved on, and you’re slowly being surrounded by new faces. The same questions I asked when I arrived I now hear others asking. My new enthusiasm has waned over the last six months and now I’m pretty tired to be honest, having worked 12 hour days consecutively since May without a day off. But my tired self is being greeted by those with fresh enthusiasm ready to take on the day, for which I’m glad. A fresh crop of guys is needed to carry the ball to the finish line.

Every day though subtle changes are remaking the landscape. There are buildings I can see that weren’t here before. You’ve read about the troop reductions and Iraqis taking over more of their country, and little by little, the sands in the sandbox are shifting to a new day here. But before that new day comes, I still hope to be gone by sunrise

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