Thoughts on the First Day (sort of First Day)

Greetings from Fort Jackson, SC! I made it here in one piece and I had plenty of time to think and reflect as I was driving in today. This morning as I prepared to leave, it was as tough as I thought it would be. We don’t do well at saying good-bye and it is hard to watch your wife and daughter cry as you say good-bye. I am grateful for them and for their willingness to let me go on this journey set by God. I know they are on the journey as well but their path is a bit different than mine.

Arriving on base and finding my way around wasn’t so bad and I was soon settled into my temporary home. Did a bit of shopping and basically stopped to ponder everything that happened today. Of course, you don’t want a diary entry of everything that did (I am sure) and you are thinking – get on with it, Tim! Well, okay, but be careful what you wish for.

As fellow chaplain candidates began to arrive, I found an amazing thing was happening. I had to leave my family (my support system!) behind me but so did everyone else. I may not have the company of Lisa and Sophia but I am not alone. There are 67 others who are going through the exact same thing. We don’t know what is going on. We have lots of questions and we are in this place far from home – alone – or so we thought. It turns out that God provides companions for each stage of our journey. It is a matter of going back to the Bible and we can see that Abraham (had Sarah), Moses (had Aaron), David (had Samuel), Job (okay not the best example but he still had companions), Jesus (had his disciples), and Paul (had different companions). Each of these people and others always had someone to journey with them so they were not alone in their work. I feel that way tonight as well. When I left the house this morning, I was feeling sad, lonely, and scared. Tonight, while I am still lonely and a bit scared, I realize I am not alone. The bonds that will carry us through the next three months have already started to form. There was so light-hearted banter and jabs and we spent some time watching football. It was a good way to end a tough day and I am ready for whatever is next.

I just heard Taps played so I guess it is time to call it a night and head to bed.

Prayers for Military Wives

Dedicated to my military wife and all military wives:

Lord God,
The military speaks in terms of courage, honor
devotion to duty, sacrifice, and commitment-
all of which are qualities of the military wife.
We thank you for wives who run households for
months on end while their husbands are deployed.
In fact, Lord, they usually run things more smoothly.
Give these wives the strength to deal with pregnancy,
childbirth, colic, potty training, the first day of school,
teenagers, bills, broken-down cars, burst pipes,
lonely nights, and mothers-in-law.
Give them the patience of Mother Teresa,
the superpowers of the Bionic Woman, and the financial
wizardry so they can stretch military pay.
In short, Lord, let us recognize the job of a military
would wear down even Wonder Woman!
We pray that their sacrifice and support
are given more praise
than the achievements of their husbands.
There are no words greater than
“Thank you” and “I love you.
May we use these often with the wives of soldiers,
sailors, marines, airmen, and Coasties whether we are
at home or deployed around the world.
Love can build a bridge between our hearts.
Let us see to that!
Bless all those military wives who serve and sacrifice
to support their families and our great nation. Amen
-Chaplain (CDR) Patrick McLaughlin, US Navy