Thanksgiving Holidays are rolling around again and we all start to think about what we have to be thankful for.
Our lives are so busy, working, playing, shopping, housework, yardwork. There is always something that occupies our time and our minds.
But stop and take a breath... count your blessings and remember to thank God for them. Blessings: Salvation, family, air, health, running water, a roof over my head, a place to lay my head, food on the table..... I was in this mindset this afternoon and remembered a story I had written last year. I wanted to share it again. It's a reminder that so many in the world do not have the simplest things and also a reminder of how the simple things can be the greatest blessings.
Happy
Tallil. Iraq. It's dry and dusty and dirty and getting hot.
Nothing here is easy. Everything requires a bit more effort and planning than normal. Transportation is either one of the unit buses or a public bus. If I take the public bus, I go to the bus stop and wait for it to arrive and hope that I catch the right one. Hah! There are several different bus routes. If I take one of the unit's buses, it's best to make sure to see if anyone else needs a ride somewhere too. By the way, driving one of those 34 passenger buses is an adventure! The roads are ruts made into bigger ruts and potholes. The ride is rough! If you weren't in pain when you got on the bus, you will be when you get off. The main roads that ARE paved are crowded with military folks doing their PT. They are running all over it and you might as well just slow down to a crawl and enjoy.
Living quarters are another matter altogether:
Some have to live in tents. Some live in trailers without a bathroom or shower. Those are called a "dry chu" (pronounced chew). The rooms are maybe 10 x 10 and most people have a roommate. The bathroom & shower units are separate and centrally located in an area with several dozen dry chu's. Nothing here is easy. Everything requires a bit more effort and planning than normal. Transportation is either one of the unit buses or a public bus. If I take the public bus, I go to the bus stop and wait for it to arrive and hope that I catch the right one. Hah! There are several different bus routes. If I take one of the unit's buses, it's best to make sure to see if anyone else needs a ride somewhere too. By the way, driving one of those 34 passenger buses is an adventure! The roads are ruts made into bigger ruts and potholes. The ride is rough! If you weren't in pain when you got on the bus, you will be when you get off. The main roads that ARE paved are crowded with military folks doing their PT. They are running all over it and you might as well just slow down to a crawl and enjoy.
Living quarters are another matter altogether:
Some of the chosen few get to live in a 'wet chu". These are trailer type units that will house 2 people in separate rooms AND you get to share a bathroom. Kind of like a dorm room situation. The room is maybe 10 x 15. But it is a single room.. no roommate!
I was one of the fortunates in a dry chu and I DID NOT have a roommate! That was a huge blessing! Then.... this week, I got to move into one of the wet chu's. Oh my !!!
Who would ever have thought that I would be so grateful for a 10 x 15 room with a bathroom that I have to share with another person.???
I have a desk made from a wooden crate. I have a chair that is unique in every way. The chair part of it is the seat and arms from an old broken down office chair. The stand it is attached to is a small wooden crate. And I am so thankful for them both! The desk gives me a place to set my computer and my table lamp. I also use it as a night stand. The chair allows me to sit in a semi comfortable position while on my computer or watching tv.
This is considered the 'lap of luxury' over here.
In all of this, I am happy and content.
I was walking out of the PX this evening on the way back to the bus. I had a small rug rolled up under my arm and a sack with some electrical plugs in it. The rug is pretty easy to find, but the electrical adaptor plugs are scarce. I was pleased with that purchase. I need them in my new 'wet chu' .
A complete stranger passed by me as I was walking back to the bus and he said "You look happy!?" I just grinned at him and said "I AM happy!" and kept walking. Then it dawned on me that I really am happy. In a way that I haven't been in a long time.
It's crazy.
I'm away from my kids and grandbabies and family.
I sleep on a cheap mattress with springs that poke me.
I share a small dingy bathroom with a stranger.
I live in one small room.
I work in a huge wooden crate they call an office with a plywood desk and dirt everywhere.
I don't have a car. I don't even have a bicycle. or a skateboard or roller skates.
It's hot and going to get hotter; and many more things i can't think of right now.
But I am HAPPY. And what is more is that it shows. Apparently people see it in me.
One of the guys was in the office today and he said something about depression. I can't remember the exact remark but it had something to do with having somebody in his life to keep him from being depressed and going home to see her.
I told him that I had somebody in my life like that,, and that He is with me all the time. Everywhere I go.
He is the source of my happiness. And no matter what my circumstance, He is there.
As always, thank you God.
