"Dear Father we pray for all the victims of Hurricane Helena
Father our hearts are heavy as each hour we learn more about the devastation through out much of the southeast following Hurricane Helena.
We are in the middle of a DBO series talking about potentially losing our lives in battle, and we pause as so many families are dealing with grief losing family members, unable to account for friends. Thousands have lost their homes or places of employment. Many never got to share their hopes and dreams, love and forgiveness for their family and friends.
Dear Father we so easily go back to our safe homes, and comfort of our families but we do remain united as a nation that cares about one another. Please help the families who
have lost loved ones, provide aide for
those who have lost homes, please help connect displaced families. Let us see the needs in one another and come together as dear neighbors across our country.
Daily Battle Order - do not wait another day to reach out to a brother, an old friend, a co-worker and share your appreciation for them There are multiple charities providing aide for our fellow Americans - donate today to one. And if we never said it in TJC - we love you and share these to be an inspiration and be together in the word and prayer"
via TJC
Was I deployed? Yes.
Was it for a great length of time? No.
Was it combat related? No.
Was it or could it be considered just as dangerous? Depends on who you talk to.
I never wrote a letter. Why? Because in all honesty, if the submarine does not surface, neither do I or any letter I would have written. However, that doesn't mean I didn’t have thoughts about what that letter would have said.
I’ll also be transparent and say that during any time at sea, I was a single sailor with no kids.
However, submarine life at sea comes with many dangers and fears. So many things can go wrong. For every dive there must be a surface. That is a fact or the crew dies.
Many times, it was hard to sleep in a “coffin” rack when sometimes greater than 600ft below the surface. A fire only takes 90 seconds to spread from lower decks to the control room. Flooding can take out the engine room and disable the nuclear reactor.
What I considered was my to my Mom, Dad, and Sister:
“Life on a submarine is in many ways indescribable. It truly is like no other, a city in and of itself, isolated when at sea. There are no firefighters, plumbers, EMT’s etc. We are it, and we rely on each other, much like how I have relied on you through all these years, and still do.
I do think about not surfacing and either suffocating, drowning, or freezing to death. It can produce a lot of anxiety if one stays in that line of thinking, and frankly, a person will not make it as a submariner if they allow themselves to stay there in their mind.
Thank you for building me up and giving me the confidence to succeed at pinning on my dolphins. I’ll be honest, if I were to die underway, I would consider it the greatest honor to be called a submariner, next to a child of God.
Dad, thank you for kneeling with me at a young age to help me see Jesus, who He is and how and why he loves us. For that I can freeze to death and know I’ll see him – tho fear and panic would precede that glorious meeting.
Mom, you know I had to go and do something unique. I know you worry and want the best for me, and it never fails that mom’s voice on the other end of the phone is music to a son’s ear.
Sis, my absolute best friend who gets me and sets me straight faster than a flash of lightning. Ever since you entered HS as a freshman when I was a Senior, it clicked that if anything happened to Mom and Dad, we were it. We truly were “sticky bandits” (as Marv from Home Alone would say, haha).
Should anything ever happen to me, know that I enjoy being as unique as possible and I suppose death on a submarine would be unique, lol. “
I’ve never shared those thoughts before, especially on paper. These words are truth. His word is truth and each of us are on a unique path, whether we believe it or not. I would encourage you to share your story more frequently and realize how unique it truly is. There’s only one of us as created uniquely by God. Many times, I find myself seeking “normalcy” when all God continues to do is throw another unique situation at me. I hope we learn how to make that as fun as possible in this life.
Daily Battle Order:
Writing this was extremely inspiring to me as I reflect on what I’ve been allowed to experience. I wish for more unique experiences as each day goes by, whether fun or hard – they shape me, and I want interesting stories to share while I’m still here to share them.
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