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Saturday, September 13, 2008

Hurricane Ike Update

Nothing. Nada. Not a darned thing.

That's what effects we felt of this monster storm.

I guess I should be more positive -- we got one brief shower that was enough to dissolve the fertilizer I put out this morning. And we didn't have any damage or outage of power.

But seeing as I have no life and immensely enjoy rainy days, this was one of the most anti-climactic days I've had since the kids and I returned home from Washington.

On a lighter note, I will be travelling this week to Salt Lake City. Since I am not Mormon, nor do I ever plan to be, some of you might be wondering why on earth I'm headed there this week. As it turns out, there is a reunion for the unit with which R. served in Iraq. I had the privilege of meeting some of the veterans from this unit on Memorial Day on the National Mall. I was so touched by the sense of connection these guys shared. So many of them are Vietnam vets and have really fought and struggled to reclaim their lives from the harrowing images of battle and the heartbreak of fallen comrades. What amazes me is the look they give one another as they embrace and say, "Welcome home, brother," even after so many years. They didn't just return home from war at some time in the past. They return home to each other every time they gather and fellowship together.

Another reason why I will travel with R. to support him and this group of warriors is because of how the older guys support the current generation. The guys who have been around the block can spot a soldier from a mile away who is at high risk for not handling life back home very well. They love these young warriors and knock themselves out to tell them how proud they are of them and how they are there if the need arises.

What am I there for? To observe these brothers-in-arms reuniting, strengthening a bond that is crucial. To express to R. that I love him by supporting this tight-knit group that mean more to him than most people. To experience a part of the country I've never seen before. To hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing on Thursday night. And to look good at the banquet, too. :)

And BTW, if any of you are locals or have been to SLC before, toss me some pointers on things not to be missed!!

3 comments:

Becky said...

Well Praise the Lord the storm petered out! Whew!

I remember a few years ago, we had wildfire after wildfire in our area, and after friends in our area were told to evacuate, we finally just packed our important papers and things into tubs just in case we had to leave quickly. It wasn't likely, but we could see the fires coming down the ridge of our valley at night. That was quite freaky. Thankfully, nothing came close enough to do anything but cause a lot of smoke and then get some infernal soot on our trampoline (that we were never able to get off no matter how we scrubbed).

Becky said...

P.S. I hear you can float in the Salt Lake. Or maybe that was the Dead Sea. Maybe both.

lrh said...

Have fun in Utah. Sounds like you'll be visiitng with a pretty special group of guys.
We have friends who live in Austin and they didn't get a drop of rain either.