A few days ago, I got what deployers call the ‘Golden Ticket’.
The Golden Ticket is the letter that releases one from the deployed position and starts the ball rolling to go home. I got mine, in its final form, a couple of days ago, so I’m going home sometime in the near future, and about eight months ahead of schedule. As it turns out, my position was identified as one of those to be cut when President Bush announced troop reductions in September.
Well, it’s not quite Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. But it will be good to go home.
Anyway, what does this mean for me?
What have I lost from the time I’ve been in
- Well, I’ll have been here about four months. Actually, that’s not such a big deal, since I’ve served with a lot of people who are serving in twelve- to fifteen-month deployments—and, in fact, my own deployment was originally set for a year.
What have I gained for the four months in
- I’ve gained several great friends whom I never would have met otherwise.
- I’ve gained a little perspective on some of the luxuries I take for granted in the
- The time away from my normal commitments has been—as someone put it—a sabbatical. It has given me the chance to figure out my own path, with less influence from what I think others might think. (Here, I’m reminded of the late physicist, Richard Feynman, “What do you care what other people think?”)
- That sabbatical has given me the opportunity to explore my call in more detail, as you’ve seen in previous posts. I’ve decided to pursue a Master of Theological Studies degree, rather than the M.Div., and later on go for a Ph.D. in theology. The initial call I felt toward the priesthood, I think, was a little push from God to explore theological education.
- And, for a couple of purely practical gains, I’ve managed to sock away a little money from not paying for stuff in the
I’ve definitely come out of this deployment in the ‘plus’ column.
No comments:
Post a Comment