Time

I was sitting outside HHC Supply with SGT Bianca Figueroa this afternoon. We were waxing philosophic about time. Bianca is a Cuban apostate Catholic with all the attitude that implies. So, of course, I think she's great. There were a few observations we made about doing time here in Iraq.

1. The days are long but the weeks are short. It is not unusual for me to leave my hootch around 0530 or 0600. It is rare I make it back before 2100. The days are filled with meetings, seeing Soldiers, visiting offices and work places, and the myriad of other duties that go with being a Brigade Chaplain. So, the days are long. But, tomorrow is Sunday. And it just seems like yesterday was Sunday! Believe it or not, I have now been in-country for 32 weeks. The weeks fly past.

2. The second observation is that we feel we have lost a year. Bianca was talking with someone about going camping last summer. The other Soldier reminded her that we were at Ft. Hood all last summer preparing for deployment and that she had actually gone camping the summer of 2005. That is a familiar feeling. We think about last Easter and imagine ourselves at home, but we weren't. We have missed Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. When we get home you will constantly be correcting us when we say, "When we did thus and so last year".

The best news is that time is continuing to march forward. Everyone here knows that one of my favorite sayings is "one day closer to home". I say it every day, and it's good news!