It's Been So Long

Wow, I haven't updated this thing in ages. Actually it feels like a lifetime ago, because so much has happened since I posted from Kuwait.
I've fallen in love for the first time, and realized that sometimes love isn't enough to guarantee happiness. I've experienced the pits of despair after losing 3 of my former Soldiers. I've realized the amazing gift of friendships that blossom in unexpected places, and how special it is to have true friends that stand by you through distance and time, when you can fall into comfortable companionship despite the years that separate your last visits.
And in short, I'm now 2 months back in the US, and I feel that I'm a very different person than I left. I don't quite know how to explain all of it. I'll try to start writing here more often, and reflecting on where I'm at and what I'm learning. Writing is cathartic, and perhaps that's what I need more than anything to learn who this new version of me is.