Our turn

The local news back home has been abuzz lately about National Guard soldiers returning from deployment. Two or three Oregon units have left Iraq within the last few months. It’s our turn next and a smile comes to my face just thinking about it. The end is near enough that it is all I think about, but still so far off that time seems to crawl slowly by. I try not to focus on the days that are left. Admittedly though, I think of my remaining time here in terms of just about everything else. Four more paychecks. Two more tubes of toothpaste. Three more holidays. One more election. It helps to break it down into manageable increments.

I remember one night back in high school I was at my friend Matt’s house talking to his mother. I was having a tough time getting through a hectic work load while balancing several other commitments and was really stressed out about it. I didn’t know how I was ever going to make it through. Mrs. Henderson looked at me and told me not to worry too much. “This too shall pass,” she said. This past year I have taken comfort from her words on more occasions than I care to count. No matter how difficult, scary, boring or slow my days here are I know that they will one day be behind me. So though I don’t yet have a plan for my life when I finally do return home, for now, while I’m here, my plan is to let the days pass.