Ahhh.... Where to begin. Where to begin. It feels so weird to be graduating. It seems so strange to reach this point in life where life starts coming at you at a million miles an hour. I find myself pondering the fact that it feels as if there is some esoteric wisdom one should be granted upon adulthood that I, well, was never granted. But that's life; the experiences we have shape us. Oh well. I have to grow up. I am on this journey of life.
55 days remaining. (Yes, I did just click over to iCal and check.) I will ship out to Marine Corps Recruit Depot to be shaped into a basic Marine on June 14th. I am so excited. God has always led me to the military. At first it was the Air Force to be a fighter pilot. Then it was the Navy (Just like Dad!) to be a SEAL. Then the Army to be a Ranger. None fit. The Marines did. I cannot expound on why. It is where God wants me. My Military Occupational Speciality will be 0311 Infantry, that is if I successfully complete Basic Training. It will be quite the adventure.
But see there is another journey I have started 9 months ago, on August 29th. I started a relationship with Leslie Poulin. On June 14th, our relationship will become very difficult. You see, she is my best friend. I love her dearly. Every day I find that out. I love her a lot more than I can explain in writing. No one loves me like her. She is always there for me. We are extraordinarily close. We enjoy the comfort of living very close to one another. But on June 14th we embark on a journey together. We get to test our love. Any of you nay-sayers will get to sit back and see if you are right, to see if we really are as devoted as we say we are. It will be difficult. It will be the hardest part of Basic. Our relationship will be reduced to letters. We will have to hold onto Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, and the Salvation He alone brings, to carry us through. James 1:2-4 says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Our relationship will face trials. Yet we have to find joy in them, and realize it is all a part of the journey of love.
Life will become very... Interesting soon. I am in this holding pattern for the moment, but when the sun rises over the New Mexican desert on June 14th, life will begin for me in two aspects. I will be challenged and will be asked two questions: Do I have what it takes to become a United States Marine and do I also have what it takes to love someone enough to wait three months before I see them again? These two questions boil down to one simple yet complex-beyond-reason question: Do I have what it takes to be a man?
We'll make it. Through Christ, we'll make it.
ReplyDelete