Random thoughts

So we have made it through an entire month. Sandy still isn't in the house yet, but she digests. I am settling in here and getting into a routine, which can be good and bad. It can be good for my sanity but bad for my safety. It's funny how the little things are what you notice out here when there is nothing and no one you care about around to draw your attention. Little things like being able to finally unpack and settle into a room...even though it may be a glorified semi-truck trailer. We only get about 2 or 3 hours to ourselves each day (a lot better than most units) but even so there is just too much time. I find that when I am busiest is when it is easiest. The time passes quicker and it is the end of another day before I know it. I doubt I could keep up that level of business for the entire deployment without a melt down or something similar...not a good thing when you have live ammo and a rifle on your person 24/7.



Most people are handling deployment fine and just finding their nitch while others are feeling some pressure. We are around each other all the time and personalities that clashed in garisson have been thrust into prime living space with eachother. Sometimes even the same room. From what I hear those situations will eventually blow up and then things will be calm again. I will say that deploying is a great lesson in finding true joy in the little things that really matter...I guess that would make them the big things, but you get what I am talking about. Finding God in the little things turns them into big things and they become your motivation and purpose. When you find purpose in where ever God takes you and what ever He has you do then getting up daily is easy and even pleasurable.



Though I may not be certain of that purpose myself I feel I am closer than ever since leaving NY. I spoke with the Chaplain a couple days ago and we're gathering steam for the men's accountability group. We will read through Every Man's Battle along with the work book. God has really provided for this group as I found in talking to Chaplain Jones. He has a great mind for organization while I feel God has burdened me with the vision for the group. It almost seems like the old Voltron cartoon where all these robot cats came together to form a huge robot to take on an even larger adversary. They would all come together and say "OUR POWERS COMBINE TO FORM...VOLTRON" and then you would see this huge powerful mega robot. That is how I feel about God's combination of Chaplain Jones and I. I feel like we should kick off the group with a loud "OUR POWERS COMBINE TO GROW...CHRISTIAN MEN" or something like that. Kinda dumb but still. Maybe I'm just still a nerd.