Snow in Balad!

Dear All,

I am having a hard time getting on the internet here lately so I am sorry that it has been a little while.

Snow in Balad! Hard to believe but day before yesterday I woke up to a layer of snow on the ground. What an odd sight and one I never expected to see. It had rained all that night and in the early hours of dawn turned to snow. By mid morning, though still very cold, the snow was gone and the moisture had made this place a nasty, muddy mess. I think I have just a little better picture of the why the rainy season is spoken of with such dread. The talc consistency of the sand, now mix with moisture, is a little like peanut butter. It sticks and stays and creates quite a mess.

I had the Iraqi crew come today to help me scrub the bathroom and for most of them it was the first time they had ever seen snow. They said it was a sign from God. I am not sure what that sign said but they were clear the snow was a significant deal.
It has been a busy week for me. With both Shari and Angela gone I am going as fast as I can to get as much done as I can before I leave next week for R&R. I was able to get my new bookshelves put together and over to the hospital. It was fun moving in them and getting the United Through Reading office and room a little more fixed up. It looks so much better.

I spent one day repainting our doors in the center. They put these wooden louvers in the doors to help with the airflow and they needed to be painted. Amazing how quickly things get dirty as painting that little bit made the rest of the door look bad. Keep in mind that the only paint we can get on base is flat paint and we are very grateful to have it even though it is hard to keep clean and looking good. All the equipment for setting up our internet arrived and I spent some time tracking that down and getting it here to the center. It should be installed in the next two weeks. Boy will that be a blessing and be a key contributor to getting the center open and running. I also went out to the Special Forces compound to do United Through Reading there with those troops. They are fun and I am so honored to get to go in and do that.

I spent almost two whole days writing thanks you notes for all the books and care packages you have sent. Your support is unbelievable and I love telling the troops over and over what all you have done for them and how much the people back home love them and support them.

I spent most of yesterday and today making pillows for the sofas and some of the remaining drapes. I’m almost there. I am going to buy pillow from the PX and take the stuffing out of them to stuff my pillows. You have to be resourceful! There is no Wal Mart or hardware store to back me up when I need things. Who would ever think I would miss Wal Mart?

The Air Force units stay only four months. We came in at the same time with a new unit at the hospital and now four months later they are all starting to leave. I said goodbye to a group of them last night and that was so emotional for me. Of Course what hasn’t been!!! We came in together and struggled through those first weeks together all homesick and experiencing things we never thought possible. So many of them regularly read to their children and I call their children now by name, so it was like telling family good bye. It made me think of John Micah and the bonds he made during his time here and how close they all were and how hard that transition is when everyone goes home. There is nothing like the issues of war to unite you to people who you would never be close to otherwise. We all stood around in the cold last night waiting for the bus to load and reminiscing about events over the past four months. They finely all loaded the bus and those of us not going lined up by the bus and gave them a proper farewell salute. Since I don’t feel I have earned the right to salute I just put my hand on my heart and cry. I guess that is appropriate for me. Everyone dispersed from there but the bus didn’t leave right away. I couldn’t stand it so I went right inside the bus and told them all how proud I was of them and what an honor it had been watching them serve together. They are top notch men and women that have served their country well. Watching them serve these past months has certainly been a picture of strength under pressure, valor through pain and honor for country above self. They would make you all proud, they certainly did me.

There will be a steady flow of airmen leaving now over the next two weeks. Some that I was the closest to will leave while I am on R&R!

R&R…………I just can’t wait! I can’t even imagine seeing Johnny. What a glorious day that will be. We will meet up the London airport. I get in a day before him so I will have a night there to relax and rest before meeting him. Rest …. I will probably go four hours early and wait at his gate.

Well enough for tonight! A very Happy Birthday to my brother, George! Have a great day!

In His Mighty Grip,
Linda