The Hard........Back to Afghanistan

The day has come and I will be leaving for Afghanistan later today....The process of getting from "here" to " there" is not easy as you are flying for a long time and crossing way too many time zones.

The mission is to assist the military and the people of Afghanistan. The difference each of us makes in other's lives is how we leave a legacy behind as we pass through our time here of God's good Earth. I am glad to have contributed to the success of our war fighters and the citizen of Afghanistan. The payoff will come in the generations to come who will see a peaceful future for Afghanistan.

I will also look forward to catching up with friends that are still there working hard each day.

The work is hard, the hours are long and the location is inherently dangerous. My wife will also have to deal with running the home front on her own which is no small task.....I am glad to have her there and we both acknowledge each other's efforts in the partnership we have shared for almost 23 years....She is the best thing in my life.

I'll be offline until I arrive over there...no worries.....Middleboro Jones will be able to update you on a regular basis.....

The situation is in line with a discussion between Tom Hank's character, Jimmy Dugan and Geena Davis's character Dottie Hinson regarding the challenges we all face in life :

Jimmy Dugan: Taking a little day trip?
Dottie Hinson: No, Bob and I are driving home. To Oregon.
Jimmy Dugan: [long pause] You know, I really thought you were a ballplayer.
Dottie Hinson: Well, you were wrong.
Jimmy Dugan: Was I?
Dottie Hinson: Yeah. It is only a game, Jimmy. It's only a game, and, and, I don't need this. I have Bob; I don't need this. At all.
Jimmy Dugan: I, I gave away five years at the end my career to drink. Five years. And now there isn't anything I wouldn't give to get back any one day of it.
Dottie Hinson: Well, we're different.
Jimmy Dugan: Shit, Dottie, if you want to go back to Oregon and make a hundred babies, great, I'm in no position to tell anyone how to live. But sneaking out like this, quitting, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Baseball is what gets inside you. It's what lights you up, you can't deny that.
Dottie Hinson: It just got too hard.
Jimmy Dugan: It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great.