Now You Can Simply Walk Into Mordor

So there's a mountain in New Zealand that they used as Mt Doom when filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Drew and I did a day hike (~20km) called the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.  It winds through the old lava flows, up the side slopes of Mt Ngauruhoe, across several other ridges, then down through tundra and forest trails.  Here's a quick batch of phone-photos from today's adventure:

I'll share the real-camera photos later on. :)

Cheers,

Emily 

Memorial Day 2014

Just a few quick thoughts...

May 26th was two very important things this year--Memorial Day and my sweet husband's 24th birthday.

It's Tuesday morning here now.  I intentionally focused on my husband's birthday yesterday rather than Memorial Day, but now he's back at work and my mind is going where I wouldn't let it go--not really--yesterday:

The combination of the holiday and his birthday is particularly poignant because my husband is a soldier--a field artillery officer, at that.  That means things are /supposed/ to explode at work, even when everything's going well.  And we're talking powerful explosions. When we were stationed at Ft. Sill, OK, the shock waves from the high explosive rounds made our brick chimney rattle even though we lived more than a mile from the firing range.

Soldiers can be killed even when they're not deployed.  A fatal training accident in my husband's unit last fall is a tragic testament to that fact.  One small error during a field exercise the week before Thanksgiving cost two US soldiers their lives and left behind two grieving widows and three fatherless children between them.  One of those men was the best mentor Drew's had in his entire Army career.  So I'm thinking of those families today in particular.

I'm already a worrywart by nature, and being married to a soldier makes it harder than ever to give my worries over to God.  I admit that ever since November's training accident, I'm terrified for Drew's safety each time he goes to the field for training.  I beg God to keep him safe because I don't know what I'd do without him.  I feel like if anything happened to him, my world would fall apart and I'd never be able to pick up the pieces--and I don't think I'd even want to.  I know empirically that life would go on--the thousands of brave war widows out there through the years are proof of that--and I know empirically that God would put me back together again, piece by piece, because He's in the business of restoration, but I know it would be a long time before I could even begin to accept that emotionally (if ever) and I know I would never be the same.

Knowing that I might lose my husband, my best friend, at any moment really isn't unique to military wives, though.  We don't know how many days God has ordained for each of us or which day will be our last.  It could be a car accident or a sudden illness just as easily as a high explosive round or a North Korean shell.  In fact, yesterday was also the 10th anniversary of a car accident that could have killed or crippled me, but I walked away unscathed by the grace of God--yet another poignant reminder of both our mortality and God's gracious sustaining hand.  So instead of dwelling on fear, I really do try instead to make the most of the time we do have together.  

I try to celebrate every milestone and season--I think I might drive Drew a bit nuts since he's much less of an events/holidays/pomp-and-circumstance kind of person than I am by nature.  This weekend we celebrated his birthday.  We also celebrate anniversaries (dating, engagement, and wedding).  We celebrate official holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas) and unofficial holidays (Halfway-through-active-duty Day, cherry blossom season, Pi Day).  And we have date nights as often as possible (one of the perks of not having kids quite yet).

I try to tell my husband how much I love him and how much he means to me every single day so that, no matter when his or my last day comes, he will know beyond a doubt that I love him and I will have no regrets for things unsaid.

Today, even as my heart breaks for families who've lost a loved one in service to their country, I choose to be grateful for the time I do have with my best friend, my hero, and to be grateful for the freedoms Americans enjoy because of brave men and women like my husband who willingly put their lives on the line for our freedom.  I also turn my heart toward Heaven, eagarly waiting for the day when the Risen Christ will restore all things and wipe ever tear from our eyes.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Drew, thank you for your service. I love you with all my heart.

Waiting Room

"I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait."

-C.S. Lewis

"Lord, You have always marked

the road for the coming day;

and though it may be hidden,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened

this darkness of mine;

and though the night is here,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken

when time was ripe;

and though you be silent now,

today I believe." 

-Excerpt from the Northumbria Community's Evening Prayer

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

-Psalm 27:14 NIV

That's right, ladies and gentlemen.  I'm pulling my novel-in-progress out of mothballs in April to try to boost my word count through Camp Nanowrimo.  I'm adding a poll on the top of the blog--weigh in about whether or not you'd like me to post excerpts over the course of the month.

I just finished my outline for the entire rest of the novel on the plane back to Korea on Monday, so I'm pretty stoked.  Looking forward to getting all those scenes on paper!

Cheers,
Emily