| Hi everybody! It's the 19th of October, but around here people are talking about how it is the "Night of Power." We're still in the month of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, and this is supposed to be the most sacred night of the month. The Koran indicates that the prayers of Muslims are especially powerful and effective on this night, and unfortunately for us, that means the threat level increases. If you were a religiously-motivated insurgent, and you thought your prayers for success against the infidel were so much more powerful, wouldn't you think about making this your night to attack? Granted, not every insurgent (maybe not even a majority) are motivated by religion, but enough are that we're keeping an even closer eye on things around us.
The good news is that in our location, the rest of Ramadan has been fairly quiet. Attacks in the larger urban areas have been up, but they have been down here over the last few weeks. Now if we could just get that trend to spread across Iraq, we'd be finally able to say our mission was accomplished and start heading home.
For now, I'm just thinking about heading home for my two weeks of leave. That starts a week from tomorrow, I hope, knowing that schedules and flight times can change by several days at times. I've found a transformation in myself as we get closer to that time. I've missed my friends and family the whole time over here, but for the last few months I've put that longing for home in a box and not thought about it much. Now, as I get close to seeing people again, I find myself missing home much, much more intensely. It's like I've begun feeling again, after mentally numbing those feelings for so long. It's a relief and a hurt at the same time, like having your foot start to ache after it was numb with frostbite. But I'm grateful for the longing because it means I still care about home and the people I love, and I accept that heartache as the price of caring. Besides, it's worth every second when I think of how that heartache, very soon, will turn to joy when I meet my wi fe and kids at the airport and get to hold them again for the first time in months. And when I get to see my friends and the rest of my family, it will only be sweeter.
So, this may be my last posting for a while. I look forward to seeing everyone back in Red Wing, but it is just a two-week vacation, so I can't make any promises. If I don't see you in November, please know that I will still think of you with love and look forward to seeing you in the spring when I get home for good.
God be good to you!
CH Steve Timm
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