Good afternoon from a stormy, thunderous Kuwait! This Christmas morning I probably got out of bed the latest I will for the rest of my time here. It was about 720am when I finally rolled out, the whole time struggling to sleep a little longer because I knew when breakfast time at our dining facility (D-FAC) was. Little did I know that at some point in the last day or two, whoever is in charge of running the D-FAC put up a tiny little sign outside that no one saw with alternate Christmas hours. Breakfast was an hour shorter. That left my buddies and I out of luck and venturing to Starbucks a few yards away to see what they had to offer. My roommate Richie treated us to our drinks. I got some coffee-free strawberries-n-cream frappuccino drink which was good but not worth five bucks. For those who don't know me well, I don't drink coffee or any of that other junk with caffeine in it. Thanks to my mom's wonderful care packages, I had a strawberry multi-grain cereal bar to go with it. Then, I chilled for a while before heading over to our chapel for a 10am Christmas worship service. I sat with my 1st Sergeant and listened to one of the Pentagon's head chaplains give a wonderful sermon about Jesus Christ. After the service concluded, we proceeded to lunch early. Because of this special day, they took away an hour from breakfast and added it to our normal lunch hours. I could now see why. Half way down the serving line, my plate was already full. If you were still hungry after brunch, you are one picky eater. Ham, turkey, fresh cut roast beef, shrimp, crab legs, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, collard greens, and a few other yummy items were on the menu. To wash it down, there was an eggnog station and your choice of sparkling white or red grape juice on the table. I said earlier on Facebook that I hoped I wouldn't be struggling from such a full stomach when I do our Christmas 5k later in the day. As it turns out, I didn't have to worry about that. Thanks to mother nature with all that wonderful thunder and lightning she likes to blow on Kuwait this time of year, the 5k was cancelled and left me a block of time to do some writing. So thanks to a couple curve balls thrown in my day, I've had to hit the ball the other way and make the best out of what life has thrown me here. They close breakfast early. I try some weird Starbucks drink and eat my mom's yummy cereal bars. Mother nature nature strikes again with thunder and lightning to cancel the 5k. I'm writing this blog post and jamming out to Christmas music. When's the next curve ball coming? Who knows but I'll make the best of it and live life.
I don't know when it started but somewhere along the way I learned to make the best out of any situation life throws at you. It could be that I'm just a positive person and like to have fun. It could be that I've been thrown in some tough situations and learned how to make it through them. Being here on Christmas Day is a good example. Although I wouldn't call it tough, there are many places that I'd rather be today than sitting on my bunk writing a blog in the middle of a thunderstorm in the desert. I'm sure most of my family and friends would rather me be home. I'm sure most of America wonders why we're even here. I can only tell you what I know. And what I know is we actually do have a mission and a reason to be here and here's how I'm making the best of it:
I'm making a home where I live. I don't have much but I have enough to live comfortably and be thankful for what I have. Thanks to the army, I have power, cable tv, internet, recreational facilities, gyms, terrific dining facilities, bathroom and shower trailers, a bicycle to ride around, and a roof over my head with air-conditioning.
My family is growing. Ever have to move somewhere, live in a new place, meet new people, and make new friends? That's what I'm doing. I'm serving with a group of soldiers, most of whom I didn't know until a couple months ago. I'm slowly getting to know all of them and befriending most along the way. We have to live and work with each other every day. We take care and look out for one another. Families do something similar to that right? If you look back, you'll probably realize that you have become a part of or made many families throughout your life. For most it starts with the family at home. You have your mom, dad, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. That grows once you step out of your home and meet new people. For me, I have my rock at home: my mom, older sister, two younger brothers, and a new baby nephew. Then, I have my dad's family. He has two brothers and through them I have four cousins. Next is all my friends from my hometown that I've known a good part of my life. Some of our parents are amazed at how close we are still after all these years. I'm not that old but people tend to go their own ways and lose touch. Next is my Penn State family. These are friends I made during my college years at Penn State from 2005-2010. Even though we're scattered throughout the country, we still find time to keep in touch and hang out when we can. Just like my friends I went to high school with, we started a bond during our time together and we continue it to this day. And last but not least is my Army family. I've probably met, lived, and worked with the most people in this family with many families. I have the family of soldiers I made serving in Iraq in 2004. I have the family I've made in my home unit since the day I joined the Army National Guard back 2002. Now I have this new family I'm making as we serve our country proudly during this deployment.
So as you can see although I'm far away from all my other families, I'm still enjoying life and the holidays with the new family of soldiers I'm serving with here. Sure I'm missing a lot being here. Sure I'll have serious FOMO (fear of missing out) at different times when I'm here and I'm missing something at home. But I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful for all of you who show me every day how much you really care by reaching out to me more and more and sending me care packages, letters, cards, and pictures. I'm thankful for the safe living conditions I'm in. Many friends and family I've talked to can tell you that I've said I will never complain while I'm here. It's true. We are well taken care of and I'm just going to make the best of it and do what we came here to do.
Merry Christmas Fam! Make the best of it and see you soon!
Love,
Brian
