I’m still here. I regret I have been underwater for several weeks now and it doesn’t look to get any better anytime soon. Just today I was looking at the calendar, and 9 June looks like the date that things will start to lighten up for me. I’ve been traveling, moving to a new house, achieving an important warfare qual, conducting seminars, doing War College & D.Min studies, ceremonies galore, etc. etc. I’ve been working 7 days a week lately. Even my Lord’s Days are swamped.
While I love my work, there are times that it becomes a little overwhelming (a day off once every few weeks would be nice). It doesn’t help that I’m holding a billet that is unique in the Marine Corps. I’m working for the only command of its type in the USMC that doesn’t have multiple chaplains. It’s just me. At a similiar command at Pendleton, there were 5 chaplains. Here, we’ve got only 1. Actually, I think 2 would do it, but 1 stretches me pretty thin.
In the next 2 weeks I have a 10 page D.Min pre-course paper due, 2 books to read with reflection papers due, another paper on military ethics due for my Joint Military Operations course, and a 15 and a 10 page paper due for Strategy and Policy and Joint Military Operations War College courses. Plus a special funeral & interment ceremony at the Arizona Memorial to do, plus a baptism. Then I fly to CONUS to take my summer D.Min seminar. Once I get back, I’ve got a Post & Relief for my SgtMaj to do, then it looks like I’m clear.
You might say: “Well why didn’t you plan ahead and pace your work…?” I DID!! If I didn’t it would have been even worse! Once I get through this next month, I should be able to tackle a final few projects for my current command before I detach and slide over to the other side of the island for a new tour. (I really need to complete that Marine Corps Martial Arts program that I started…)
Who’s complaining? One of these days the luxury of theological reflection would be great to enjoy again…
Grace,
JC