Are you ready...

First, I want to thank everyone for your continued support!! This site is an amazing spirit booster for me and I'm sure it does the same for my bro! THANKS!! I've gotten some more emails, letters, boxes, comments on here...thank you!! Speaking of which, someone wanted to know if we got enough scrub tops...WE SURE DID!! THANKS!! I think right now....we're pretty good...unless you want to review some of the previous requests and help out by sending some of that stuff.... THANKS MOM AND DADDY!! We got silverware, plastic-washable plates, some cool toys, and some other stuff!! THANKS!!



Time to get serious....I've had a bad day today...so the next part...I hope it comes out like I want it to. I'm not quite sure how or what I want to say...it's still rambling around in my head, but I guess I'll keep typing till I fall asleep or feel better.....

Well, I finished this post about two hours after I started it. BUT the devil didn't like it. Or on the flip side of that, God wasn't happy with it and wanted me to re-type it because my internet connection messed up and it was lost.....so, I'll continue from where I left off.....now I have my thoughts a little better in line, so maybe that's why...either way, everything happens for a reason.

Are you ready.....to die? Are you ready to live? Me and a fellow Soldier had a conversation after a 'long day' and here's kinda how it went. We were talking about the danger our Soldiers and other people over here face everyday of going on missions. He's a little nervous about doing missions. He said he wanted to go home and see his family one last time before he went on too many more....just in case.... Just in case....I tried to explain to him that you never know....you never know when something might happen. When we go to sleep tonight, we think we're safe. Our little huts are our safe havens....right? Wrong. We never know when a mortar, rocket, or who knows what will happen. A told him what a preacher once said in the Sunday sermon...I'm not sure why I can't forget this but it comes to me from time to time..."You're not ready to live until you're ready to die." Think about it....until you make your peace with God and yourself, you're not ready to REALLY live. I also told him that 'everything happens for a reason' and I believe that so much, it's a tatoo on my arm. It's a reminder for those bad days and times when I just don't understand....everything...everything happens for a reason. I tried to explain to him that until you make that peace, you'll worry and be scared about the unknown. I told him I've made my peace. I've made my peace with God and myself. I'm living. I'm alive! Every morning when I get and go to the latrine, I try not to think about what 'might happen' today....with the constant reminders like gunfire, explosions, helicopters flyin overhead....it's hard not to be scared. But I remember, I'm going to live today. I'm going to live to the fullest. Now, rest assured that I don't have a death wish over here and I'm not going to put myself in any crazy situations. BUT, I WILL get up every day knowing that I'm good to go just in case. Just in case...just in case rocket comes in....or mortar slams close by...or we get attacked on the FOB... I won't walk in fear wondering about the what if's. There are too many possibilities...you could be 5 miles off post or 150 miles off post...when it's your time....it's your time. Grandpa used to say 'just don't be on the plane when it's the pilot's turn'....I'll probably never forget that one either. BUT, why do we think about these things in the first place? Probably because we see the aftermath of someone's 'time'. And that is probably what brings you to the stages of fear....I haven't had any bullets whiz over my head yet and I've only been somewhat close to an explosion, but I've looked death in the face....and it is a quick! QUICK reality check. It sucks....there's no other way to put it....you can't help but wonder about all the what if's...the....it's undescribable.......so I understood why he was worried about the missions and the endless possibilities....but I tried to explain to him...you can't think like that. It's probably not the talk he wanted. The last thing someone wants to think about is not making it back. But not only us, but everyone should consider the what if's. I consider them...but I'm good. Like I said, I've made my peace, I'm living life....not scared of the other...

Take a quick second....ask yourself....are you alive? Do you wake up every morning with the peace of God in your heart and take your first steps in confidence knowing that whatever today may bring, you're ready? Are you ready for the what if's??

This is different from the first time I wrote it, but the message is still there. This is another one of those times where I wish I could say more. My mom commented and asked why I keep so much in and why I don't give more details....it's not that I don't want to...it would make it easier to get a few points across....but for the security of the Forces here, too many details will get me in trouble. Maybe I'll tell you about 'that day'.....or when you ask...I'll say 'I don't want to talk about it'......who knows.

The important part here is the message - Are you ready? Are you truly ready. Everything happens for a reason, and when it's your time....it's your time. The question is 'will you be ready?' Are you ready for the what if's? Have you made your peace with God? Have you made peace with yourself? Trust me, the sooner you do....the better you'll feel. Hopefully it won't take a reality check for you to make that decision. I wrote this with a calm, collected mind and manner, but picture me now standing in front of you firmly asking "are you truly ready to die? Because if you're not, you're not ready to live! When you are ready to live, life will be just a little bit easier."

Lord,
Please be with us. Keep us safe, bring us home to those we love. Until then, I trust in you for my future. I know I'm alive, and pray that if anyone that reads this is not really alive inside and out, then they will seek you. I hope they long for the peace that only your loving hand can put into our hearts. Please keep us safe, and again...I trust in you for my everything.
Amen

Somewhere in Iraq
SGT Wormy-Strader

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