I stood in the rain last night.
It was rather poetic in and of itself, actually. I was standing in the rain, in the night, in Baghdad. In spite of warnings to the contrary, I was without armour, without helmet, without escort. The rain was cold, and light, but steady. It was, for all practical purposes, a flood. My friends in the Aviation community told us that we could expect as much as 5 cm in one day, which, according to these guys is more than this area usually receives in a year. I wonder what that says about God's opinion of Operation Iraqi Freedom?
I love rain. Rain is the great intensifier. Rain makes hard work all the more difficult. It makes a quiet evening at home all the more peaceful. It makes a dangerous situation all the more dangerous. If one wants pass the time in sport, playing in the rain makes sport more intense (unless you play baseball, in which case rain makes you go home and return to your needlepoint). If you are going to sleep, rain on the roof will make you sleep all the more deeply.
There are those who cancel their activities because of rain. Personally, I extend them. Picnics, trips to the zoological society, and other simple outdoor functions are perfect for rainy days, because the crowds are subdued. Concerts are wonderful in the rain, if proper electrical precautions are made. There is nothing quite like playing for a crowd in the rain, knowing that these, who have gathered in spite of the elements, are the real, hardcore fans, and watching them dance and cheer as the rain falls. When I have the chance to play for a crowd in the rain, I play until they are ready to leave, or the venue owner says we have to shut down.
So here, when the rain falls, soft and cold, I find a way to get outside. It is during these walks, during which I am certain people are questioning my sanity, that I think the most about my home and family. They are always in my thoughts, of course, but the urgency of my work can distract me, and takes the edge off the longing. When I stand in the rain, and all around is what passes for peaceful and still in this war, meaning that I tune out the explosives and small arms fire and listen to the sound of the rainfall, that is when my feelings for my family and my homeland are also intensified. In those moments, the responsibility starts to get heavy, and I start to think I am never going to be finished saving the world. But just before it gets to be too heavy for me to bear, I remember what Mrs. E. Poet told me, as I picked up my duffle and prepared to go out the door. ?We know that you are one of the forces for Good in this world, and where other men have abandoned their families for no reason at all, you go to make this world a better place for us. And when you go to save the world, we send you with the love and support that you need. In that way, we are saving the world, too. So go, save the world, and come back to enjoy this world with your wife and your sons.?
She is a remarkable woman, indeed.