Life goes on

Day 5
I finally have a computer that I can use on the internet. It is nice to have the security of something familiar like my own computer. I have been on the move for over a month now and each little thing that tells me something familiar is a welcome relief. I am in a temporary office right now, but even this is an improvement.

The last week I have been getting an orientation from the chaplain I am replacing. He tells me that I am his favorite person right now. He is a pretty neat guy, gave a lot of good info for my mission here. I also got a good tour of the base with special emphasis on all the good spots.

I have been thinking lately how to explain to someone who isn't here what it is like to be here. I remember when I was about 16, I went to bible camp and stayed in a tent with a paraplegic guy from our church. I asked him what it was like to be paralyzed. He told me that one day in rehab some doctors came in and rode around in wheelchairs for a week. They did all the things that he had to deal with everyday. They were trying to understand what it was like by experiencing it for themselves. He told me that there was one big difference between their experience and his. At the end of the week, those doctors got up from their chairs and went home.

Being here is hardest because we are away from family, but that is not the worst part. The worst part is that life still goes on. I know that everyday things are happening to my family that I will never see. There will be birthdays and holidays, cut fingers and rug stains, trips to church and family visits, thousands of memories that happen everyday. Here it seems like time stands still. Nothing changes and everyday seems the same as the last.

Please don't take my ramblings as complaining, just letting you in on what is going through my mind. Mostly I am just glad to have this computer and finally have a place to unpack. Praise the Lord for small miracles.