Sleepy Sunday

My Favorite,

It was just plain nice to sleep in (though I really missed saying good night and praying with the kids - but also glad they went to bed early and kind of glad to sleep in at the same time). Went to church, that was nice. Then went to brunch. I listened to I think his name is Brother Taylor but anyways he got emotional telling a number of deployment stories of people getting shot in front of him and having to motivate leaders and folks to go fight. He had friends who dealt with a lot of trauma too. Just could see and feel the turmoil in his mind and that he hasn't yet made reconciliation with all of those feelings and emotions. It's crazy the struggle people go through and how real war is. Brother McMullin who was there in the conversation tried to relate with his own stories as a surgeon treating mass casualties and having deranged bodies missing most of their limbs etc coming in to the clinic, many already dead, some of them the enemy, and having to sort through and treat them all. Interesting that the dentist chipped in by triaging and choosing basically who was going to get treatment and who, in essence would die. Heavy stuff but real and part of what this organization is about. Funny that even here, so far from home, I still feel so apart from this reality that for them is so close to home, even in their own minds and doesn't end. I am safe and separated from these scenarios where I am located and it is hard for me to completely relate, though part of me wants to feel their pain and share their sorrows; I don't wish it on anybody.

My goals were to sleep and go to church. Done and done.

Tomorrow I need to get back up at 4am again and run. Call you guys. read scriptures. Work, do some CE, Go to the gym, come home. Repeat.

I guess my thought is what I wrote above. Actually Neal McMullin made a good point I hadn't thought of literally before: As Christians we inherently must accept that life isn't fair purely by virtue that the very One in whom is the focus and center of our faith, Christ, so undeservedly was punished and bore the burdens of all the sin and wrong in the world yet was the only one ever to have not sinned or deserved to bear ant of it. So being Christian is plain and simple to accept that yes, life is not fair. But with that is also the understanding that though life isn't fair now, because of Christ it will be. We talked in Sunday school about being prepared for the second coming. Calamities, trials, pain, sickness, war, sickness, death...it's going to come to all of us but to be prepared we must place our anchor in Christ and trust in Him. Doing so will hold us fast through the storms. It certainly doesn't make us impervious to being in the storm, but we don't have to be washed away by them. And sometimes, regardless, the storms will still inflict some damage, but if we prepared our boats enough we can stay afloat until He comes to mend all that is lost. I could see that in Bro Taylor. Despite his best efforts he told some collateral damage. But if he can hold to his anchor, those wounds can be healed. And partly, we can be the balm that heals them. I know that the Savior did take all upon Himself to bare it all, feel it all, know it all. He sank to the bottom and rose again to the top. Truly He descended below all things and it would be blasphemous of us to think that we, followers of Him, wouldn't descend a little too. In doing so we are forced to reach up to Him thus drawing us to Him.

Another example of how I kind of forgot about these thoughts until I started writing them. Don't forget to write your letters. Make sure you get your goals each day and hold me accountable for mine. I love you and together we can weather our life storms. We don't have to be alone and the Lord gave us each other to man our little Mayflower as we journey through choppy seas. I can't think of a better shipmate than you!

Ahoy Matey!