This time Next Year

Next year at this time where will I be. There are talks about big moves back in the states. Last year we said “Next year we will be in Iraq dreaming of a cold beer and home”. We laughed and said that it was not true. Now in my 5 month in country I begin to wonder about what life will have in store if I do make it back. With all of the different things going on in life for me I wonder, What does my future hold in store for me? When I was young I wanted to be a writer but gave up on it after high school. I just did not know where to start or if college was required. I wish I would have stayed in college and finished. I could be a writer for a newspaper or just successful. I know that the job that we do here is important but how is success measured. It is measure by the amount of money that you have in the bank or the number of possessions that you have. To me success is measured by the number of people who love you and the number of friends made during your lifetime. I guess that by my own definition I am successful. I have a wife who tells me that she misses me on a daily basis. A son who said “I don’t know what I would do if my dad does not come home”, and a younger son who cries for me on occasion thinking that I will not come home. My brother and sister send emails frequently to check on me. My parents for the first time that I can remember told me that they love me and are proud of me. This is success. Faith Hope and Love the greatest is Love. As I ponder the future the present and the past I can really say that I am successful maybe not with possessions maybe not with money but I do have a bunch of people back home who really love me.