I'm Home!

Well, after 6 weeks I returned home yesterday. Being away from home is not fun but coming home is a great feeling. One that cannot be recreated. Your stomach turns but in a good way and when the plane lands you become giddy with excitement.

(a cold day I missed while away)

There is nothing like the curious smile from your son who seems to be trying to figure out if you're really there or not. Oh, and the big hugs a 2 year old gives you and the giggle he has as you play with him...well, there is nothing like it in the world.

Dogs are also fantastic. They barked when they saw me, ran around in circles, whined, and jumped up on me. Even big old Bentley tried to jump up on me. It's weird that an animal can be so excited to see a human being. (By the way, did you know this is the longest in 8 years that I have gone without touching a dog? Weird, eh?)

And nothing beats the pleasant smirk, firm handshake and pat on the back from your wife. It is priceless. But also, Heidi blew up some red/white/red balloons and streamers all over the apartment with some of my favorite candy spread all over the counter and table. It made me feel good. I'm a lucky dude.

(Heidi after West Side Story-I was away so she went to a play)

But I'm home for now I'm home and a little sad that I'll have to leave again later this year. I'm really sad that one day I might have to leave my family for a year or more. Even more sad that so many soldiers are away from their families at this time and some left their families never to see them again. At this time I'm fortunate.

How did I get here and where am I going?

In two days I will complete half of my Army Chaplain training and will be returning home (I will finish the school later this year). The entire time I have been here I have had a Talking Heads song stuck in my head. I don't know how applicable it is but here is the lyrics:

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself-Well...How did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...

And if you're interested here is an '80s retro music video of this song. Check it out just to see how much music videos have changed:



So I return to my Texas home with a new take on life, family, country, and religion...for now...don't forget I'm barely even half way done. But if you care (and you probably don't) I did not bring a camera so here is one of the few photos that exist of me at CH-BOLC. Do I have a beak? Heidi says I do, but I can't tell. Man...I'm a weird looking dude.

LOVE BIRDS

These two love birds {Bing and Bessie} have been together for 24 years. As goslings they were abandoned on a farm and were brought to live at Farm Sanctuary in 1987. They have become inseparable. Both geese are very shy. Whenever anyone approaches Bessie sends out a loud call and Bing comes to her rescue. No matter where she is, if Bessie calls Bing comes running. They are always within earshot of one another during the day; and every night, these lifelong love birds fall asleep side by side.

Please watch this cute video about the relationships that animals have one with another.
Bing and Bessie are featured at the very end.

Isn't great to find your life long companion!
Someone that you can cry out to and they'll come running!
I'm so glad that I found mine.

Taco Bell

The longer I am away from eating meat the more bizarre it seems to me that people willingly - even happily - eat meat. Stuff produced and prepared behind the scenes and that is willingly scarfed down. Allow Mr. Black to explain.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Back in Black - Meat Edition
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Four Chaplains, Tear Gas, and Me

On 3 Feb 1943, 68 years ago today, the USS Dorchester, a troop ship with more than 900 soldiers and sailors headed to the European front during WWII was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Only 230 survived and among the dead were four chaplains, George Fox (Methodist), Alexander Goode (Jew), Clark Poling (Reformed Church of America), and John Washington (Catholic).

After the ship was hit these four chaplains helped calm and organize the evacuation. They escorted sailors and soldiers to the escape boats and handed out life preservers. When all of the life preservers were used up they took off their own and handed them to the evacuees.

As the ship sank the last reported sighting of the four chaplains was them locked in arms praying. I wonder what they thought about as they took off their life preservers and gave them away. They had to know it was already a long shot but once they took those vests off they probably realized the end had arrived.

This is a big deal for all chaplains but especially army chaplains. Congress approved a special medal awarded posthumously to the families of the lost chaplains. Though I have no desire to die in a sinking ship and hope it never comes down to such an act I am proud to be part of such a diverse group of men and women whose sole purpose is to comfort those of all faiths or none-thereof in their times of need.

Now for a lighter side. Everyone has probably heard about the Gas (tear gas) Chamber that all soldiers must pass through at some point early in their career. I have now done it twice, it seems like this time was worse. It was awful and thanks to YouTube you can now see what it was like. Below is my class, I come out the right door a little over two minutes into the film: