You know, I was just sitting here at my desk and thinking I am really grateful to have a job. After all, my boss did take a bit of a chance on me—considering I’d just been laid off from my former job. Nonetheless, he hired me. I was told later he wanted to say something about it at the big “party” where the bunch of us were cut, but couldn’t.
That’s OK, I guess. I was unemployed for 72 hours, and then I got the call from HR. Cool.
So like I said, I am grateful for my job, and toward the company I work for, even though they laid me off. I’ve seen a lot of things while working here—really awesome things. I’ve seen a Phalanx fire at night—with the tracers looking like a laser beam. And it was oddly beautiful.
I’ve driven over the Panama canal every day for a month, and that was beautiful in its own way, too—a beautiful work of man.
I’ve been to Alaska (which looked an awful lot like Narnia), seen the northern lights, and eaten a moose burger. I also left quite a bit of my blood outside a hockey arena. It was cold, and made me think of God more than any place I’ve been my life.
I jogged along a pretty cold Washington river. I saw llamas in their natural habitat—a Yakima Army base.
All those things—every one—that I’ve seen, no matter how strange and beautiful, no matter how amazing, made me feel anywhere near as complete as this does: coming home to my strange and beautiful family–especially my wife. My kids. My growing church–I didn’t realize how much I needed that family until I was away from it for weeks at a time. It’s difficult to imagine being on a deployment. Not to minimize the importance of my friends, but I don’t have very many pictures, because I am usually busy enjoying life when we all get together.
You never know how much you really miss home until you are away.
It’s only been since 0445 today, but I am ready for some Wilkins-style crazy tonight.
A Work in Progress 