Let's begin.
THIS :
...is a very Happy Man.You know what?
Friends and Family are the Essence of Life. (A few other things come to mind: a black Labrador at your feet, a horse nuzzling your shoulder over a half-door, a cold night and a warm, noisy fire - and a salty Kansas City strip steak cooked by my dad Jim Craig, who knows how to cook anything with a Moo in it.)
What do these things have in common?
You can't get any of them here.
...But I digress...
Break/Break...
We have the pleasure of living in two separate rooms. The pictures you see in this post were taken in "my" room. It's the only one that is semi-lived in and actually smells good (perfume, cosmetics, yeah, you get the idea...).
We've decorated. Kind of. We use boxes for bookshelves:
Our room is a large metal box with a vent inside that spews 60-degree air constantly next to, and underneath, a whole bunch of other metal boxes (conexs - all piled into a large metal warehouse, two high and about 80 deep. We also really enjoy a bathroom that is about 400 yards away with communal showers. And it's metal, too...
Heaven.
Anyway, the reason for this post is that John's cousin Linda and her folks, Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Pat, sent us a Verrrrrrrrry large box packed with goodies...
we ate a couple but gave most of them away to the Young Skinny Kids around here who can afford to eat them. Still, the gesture was so appreciated and it made me think how fortunate we are that we have folks who are truly willing to send us anything we need or want. And SPEAKING of that...
...if any of you want to make a young Soldier's day - send goodies (especially Tasty Kake stuff!) to a young Specialist who serves on my friend Mary Connell's staff, working with Detainees in Baghdad:
SPC James Rafetto
TF 31, S-3
APO AE 09342
Mary is a wonderful gal, too, who works with a bunch of Army Nurses (and if any of you know my mom, you know why Army Nurses will always have bona fides with me...) so if you want to send girly stuff or cosmetics or cotton balls (she actually would love that) or nail polish (we can paint our toes!!!) or makeup remover or Neutrogena cleanser or L'Oreal eye cream or SPF Oil of Olay Day cream...you have a willing recipient (no, she did not tell me to say this, nor does she even know this blog exists...)
Mary's address is the same as SPC Rafetto's, except address it to her :
MAJ(P) Mary Connell
So back to the metal room:
Notice the movies on the right? Mostly from my brother, Arms, who sent me Desperate Housewives Season 3. John's not interested, of course, unless Eva Longoria is on the screen - but I LOVE the series!!! I have to limit myself to a couple of episodes a day or I'd go through all 23 in a weekend...
>
Notice the Toblerones on top of the T.V.? From our friends Jaime and Pat back in Stuttgart, who are another Special Forces couple ... let's just say Jaime's gotten really good at care packages over the years...
Throw in the fact that our folks send us mail, clothing, and (my mom) "girl necessities" like a special kind of mascara, and we absolutely cannot complain. (Except when Dad Silkman writes "lipstick" on a customs form on a package that I had ordered, but that was mailed to John's address instead of mine...hmmmm) :)
It just takes a couple months to make you realize what's important in life...and what isn't. And what isn't, even though they're very nice - is THINGS.
Family and Friends who SEND the things are.
And Good Dogs.
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