My Friends,

I woke up this morning in my one room house that I share with 15 men.  I didn’t have anyone holding me under the covers so getting out was hard.  I didn’t have much to look forward to. My day off is 6 more days away and I have the same thing to do today as I did yesterday, and the same for months and months ahead.  Just for a second I think of that mountain of time ahead of me, but block it out as I put on my uniform.  I step out to cold mornings and think of hot afternoons as I make my way to the outdoor plumbing showers.  I wash and shave in the company of 5 or so others on a wet floor, and brush my teeth with bottled water because the tap water will make us sick.  And as I walk to the line of stand up porta-johns outside in a row, I thought about the choices I have made to join the military and standing there a feeling overcomes me.  Like the Who’s in the Dr. Seuss classic, It started small then grew to a consuming choir.  It was praise.

Even though I woke up alone this morning, I WOKE UP.  Even though I had one space among 15 others, I HAD A SHELTER OVER MY HEAD.  Even though it was hard getting up out of the bed, I COULD GET UP, STAND, AND WALK.  Even though there are no such thing as weekends for me, and I have a great deal of time until I get to go home, I WILL GET TO GO HOME.  There are some that never made it home.  Even though I wash in shared quarters and can’t drink the water, SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO WASH IN RIVERS THAT THEY SHARE WITH LIVESTOCK, AND HAVE TO DRINK THAT WATER.  And even though I am in a foreign country, 1000’s of miles from family and home, I AM FREE, AND I  AM HERE TO ENSURE THAT ALL MY FAMILY AND ALL AMERICANS ARE FREE TOO.  There are many that do not have the luxury of freedom.  We should never take that for granted, and in that give many thanks to our Lord, God Almighty.  How lucky and thankful I am. 

And as I stood there I thanked GOD that I will never be truly alone, because HE is with me wherever I am.  I thanked HIM that HE has allowed me, in HIS matchless grace, to know HIM.  And though there is many things that I, and we, could look at everyday and be bitter about, there are so many more reasons why we can, and should give thanks.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name;

It is HE who made us, and we are HIS; We are HIS people, the sheep of HIS pasture.  Enter HIS gates with thanksgiving and HIS courts with praise, Give thanks to HIM and praise HIS name.  For the LORD is good and HIS love endures forever; HIS faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

For all the gifts, cards, thoughts, and prayers I thank you.  I am so blessed to have such support.  That’s why I get through what I am now.

This is truly Thanksgiving,  for you have made it so.

Please share this with everyone involved.

Joshua S.