Morning devotional that I want to share with you all:
"A Watchful Eye:
The early American Indians had a unique practice in training their young braves. On the night of their thirteenth birthday, after his fortitude and maturity had been tested by various trials in hunting, fishing, and scouting, he was placed in the center of a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. It was an equivalent to his bar mitzvah or confirmation in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the sign of adulthood. In a wood so thick that even the moonlight could not penetrate, he was left to the terrors of the darkness. Every twig that snapped seemed like a wild animal ready to pounce. Through the night he looked anxiously toward the east, awaiting the dawn. After what seemed more like a month than a single night, the first ray of sunlight exposed the interior of the forest. Slowly the young boy began to distinguish the bushes, the flowers, the path. Then to his utter astonishment, he saw his father standing just a few feet away behind a tree, armed with a bow and arrow.
Don't you suppose the boy thought, 'If only I had known my father were there, I wouldn't have been afraid of anything'? Hundreds of years earlier, Jesus had said to the sinking Peter and to the terrified disciples shipping water on the Lake Genesareth, 'Where is your faith? Don't you know that my heavenly Father stands beside you night and day, armed not with a bow and arrow but with the love and power of His Spirit to ward off any danger?" Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
I am sure you all get why I chose to share that one. It just hit me right in the heart, in a good that is...
Things are going well here in the area of Iraq that I am in. My platoon needed a 
break from the norm, so we had a horseshoe tournament one day as well as a Rook tournament. SGT L and SGT H won the horse shoe tournament, and SGT H with a different partner (SPC B) won the Rook tourney. It was a fun day. 
We grilled out and put some cold drinks in the cooler. It was our attempt at a cook out family type event at home, which we all miss so much.
I went to another FOB for a few reasons which I can't post, but 
here are the pics from that trip, including one of the entrances to a large university in Iraq. I took pics of the entrance about 7 months ago, 
and they have made some progress. It appears to be slow progress, but progress nonetheless. I heard most Iraqis only work 6 hours a day here, so maybe that is why progress is slow. Unlike the US, people seemed to never be in too much of a hurry here.
The other day I got a chance to just hang out with a couple guys in my platoon. Two of us smoke cigars once in a while, so we bought some cubans from the local market. Yes, they were real 
cubans, but dry they were. I guess you can't have it all here in Iraq. Well, far from it all and that is fine with me. I would rather get fresh cigar or pipe tobacco in the states any day. Please notice the lovely portajohn background in the picture of me. There is no doubt they have a founding presence in my FOB.
Also, Ramadan came on 4-5 October, and the past coalition force units have given a donation to the community. So, we dug into our food closets and also gathered toys that had been shipped to us. We passed them to our parent unit here, and these items were given out as a 
token of good presence. I had one last shipment of beanie babies and toys that came in so that was the donation that my platoon made (really YOU ALL made the donation). Thanks again for sending items. I am sure more than a few children will not only have their day made, but also their week. If you have more to send, please do not send them for I might not be here when they arrive and the package will be returned to you.
Thanks again to all who support us in our mission here. Freedom is more precious than ever.
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