It's Time To Go Home

Then they all went home. - John 7:53

The scripture passage I chose today is about the discussion with the Pharisees about the Messiah.  Today, I am not going to reflect about the identity of the Messiah but rather, I am going to reflect on home.  I left home on September 20, 2013 to mobilize and deploy with my unit on my third military deployment.  A few days ago I was blessed enough to breathe the free air of America.  

I have made a few phone calls to some friends and family.  I have not contacted everybody I need to yet.  I haven’t even been able to talk to my mother yet.  But while I am not actually home yet, I am already starting to feel like I am home.  I know that there will be many dinners and discussions to be had in the near future.  There will be much catching up with my friends and family.  I will have been gone for about 11 months.  I know that I have grown and the people around me will have grown as well.  

Reintegration is what the Army calls it when we come home and assimilate back into our civilian lives.  This time is filled with trepidation and joy.  My soul cannot help but be worried about what it will be like to be home.  The joy is already filled in my heart to be so close to the people I love dearly.  Yet, I still consider what it will be like to try to plan the first few weeks to make sure that I can get to the people who have been very good to me with their thoughts, prayers, time and gifts while I was gone.  

I also want to get back to doing the things that I love.  My friends have already started to plan ‘adventures’ for some of the weekends.  I have already accepted the invitation for a camping/rock climbing trip to Moab, Utah.  I have tentative plans to visit North Carolina, Florida and Texas.  I have agreed to have dinner and dessert with an old friend who will be passing through Colorado in November.  

I am very interested to getting back to Church and finding the ministries that I can contribute to.  I am sure that I will be very involved with the Knights of Columbus again.  I look forward to finding a place in the liturgy as either a lector, Eucharistic Minister, or in music ministry.  The latter would bring me such great joy for I dearly love music.  But at this point I ‘raise [my] white flag. [I] surrender all... the war is over.  Love has come.  Your love has won.’  That comes from Chris Tomlin’s “White Flag” with a few nominal changes.  

My war is over.  It’s time to go home.