Today

Today on this day, with the world as witness and before God in heaven I confess to you that you are the love of my life.  This day commemorates the day that you changed and renewed my life.  The day I stopped being “me” and began being “us.”

Since that day, my life has not been the same.  I will never again wake up without looking to see if you are by my side.  Never again will I come home without expecting you to be there. Never again will I look at our children and not see you in their eyes.  Never again will I go to sleep at night without thanking God that you are mine; my wife; my partner; my love.

You have changed my life in so many ways; some obvious and some almost imperceptible.  I don’t deny that we have had our difficult times, but we have also had so many happy moments, moments of tenderness and moments of passion.  I have all those moments saved in my thoughts and in my heart.  And no matter what happens, I know that I will have the memories of our life together to inspire me, console me, and to strengthen me. 

Maybe I don’t deserve you.  Maybe you are entirely too good for me.  But it is not important how you came to love me; nor how you came to need me; nor why you decided to stay with me.  It is enough for me that you said “yes”; that you want to spend your life with me; that you want to be my wife; that you want to live with me and our children.  I know that sound selfish, but I don’t care how you came to be mine, only that you are mine.

I thank the Eternal Lord that he put you in my path, and I thank you for accepting me.  Although I may be a sad, broken, imperfect and flawed man; I am completely and irrevocably yours.

I love you! I Love You! I LOVE YOU!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MY LOVE.



(from FOB Salerno, Afghanistan)

Hoy

Hoy en este día con todo el mundo como testigo y ante Dios en el cielo te 
confieso que eres el amor de mi vida.  Este día conmemora el día que cambiaste y renovaste mi vida.  El día que paré de ser “yo” y que empecé ser “nosotros.”

Desde ese día, mi vida jamas ha sido la misma.  Jamas despertaré sin ver si estas a mi lado.  Jamas llegaré a casa, sin esperar que estés allí.  Jamas podré mirar nuestros niños sin verte en sus ojos.  Jamas me acostaré por la noche sin darle gracias a Dios que eres mía; mi esposa;  mi pareja; mi amor.

Has cambiado me vida de tantas formas; algunas obvias y algunas casi imperceptibles.  No niego que hemos tenido nuestros tiempos difíciles, pero también hemos tenido tantos momentos felices, momentos de ternura y momentos de pasión.  Todos esos momentos los tengo guardados en mis pensamientos y en mi corazón.  Y pase lo que pase, se que tendré los recuerdos de nuestra vida juntos para inspirarme, consolarme y fortalecerme.

Tal vez no te merezco. Tal vez eres demasiada buena para mi. Pero no me importa como llegaste a amarme; ni como llegaste a necesitarme; ni porque decidiste quedarte conmigo.  Solamente me basta que me dijiste “sí”; que quieres pasar la vida conmigo; que quieres ser mi esposa; y que quieres vivir conmigo y con nuestros hijos.  Sé que se oye egoísta, pero no me importa como fuiste a ser mía, sino que eres mía.

Le doy gracias al Señor Eterno que te puso en mi camino, y te doy gracias a ti que me aceptaste.  Aunque yo sea un hombre triste, roto, fallado, e imperfecto; así soy irrevocablemente y completamente tuyo.

Te amo! Te Amo! Te AMO!!

FELIZ ANIVERSARIO, MI AMOR.

(desde FOB Salerno, Afghanistan)

BILL CLINTON ENDORSES NEWT GINGRICH??

Many pundits, analysts, and media types are wondering how the voters of South Carolina could favor Newt Gingrich over Mitt Romney and the other candidates.

There is a lot to be said for his performance at the two debates prior to the primary and that may have had a lot to do with it. But beyond that I think that former President Bill Clinton gives us a small glimpse into why voters are ignoring all the “establishment” Republicans who have endorsed Mitt Romney. (Among those that have endorsed him are John Sununu, John McCain, Tim Pawlenty, Bob Dole, Jon Huntsman, Lisa Murkowski, and Nikki Haley).

In his interview with Bill O'Reilly, in response to a question of whether he respected Newt Gingrich as a man, Clinton responded:

"I don't disrespect anybody who works with me in good faith. He was way more political than I would have been. He defended what he calls 'scorched-earth politics' and I certainly was the beneficiary of that.”

I interpret this to mean: Newt didn't care who he angered as long as he did what was necessary to accomplish the goals that he had set, and I (Bill Clinton) got to reap the rewards by getting a second term as president.

In that one sentence Bill Clinton tells all conservatives what they need to know about Newt.

1. Newt is unapologetic about doing what is necessary to advance the Conservative cause and do what is right for the country.
2. Establishment republicans didn't like Newt's leadership because he didn't care about their individual fiefdoms.
3. Newt was honest in his dealings and negotiations with the president which is why Bill Clinton agreed to the legislation passed by the house. (Which would lead one to believe that the President would have urged the Senate to also pass the legislation).
4. He challenged republicans to cross him, but they didn't dare, because they knew they would be exposed politically.

I for one want that in my speaker and more importantly in my President. I want my President to be passionate. I want him to take members of his own party to task for abandoning conservative principles. I want him to take no prisoners when it comes to passing legislation that is right for the country, even if it isn't politically popular within his congressional caucus. Welfare reform passed with 226 of 235 Republican representatives voting in favor, with 30 Democrats. This sounds like leadership to me. 225 Republicans voted in favor the Tax cuts passed in 1997, along with 164 Democrats. Is that not leadership????? Where were all these Congressmen then? Where were their cries of explosive personality and instability?

Most of the “Republicans” complaining about how Newt is a bad leader cannot seem to explain how he persuaded them to vote with him. Most seen to imply that he was combative, confrontational and explosive. The question is never asked: If Newt had not had these traits, would republicans have been able to get welfare reform passed, cut taxes and balance the budget?? And more importantly, if Newt had not been the Speaker of the House would Republicans have even tried?

Probably not.

I CANNOT

On a dark and moonless night I look up
and can see a million miles away
as the way off stars of the Milky Way
sparkle across the expansive distance.
But, I cannot look into to your dark beautiful eyes
as they twinkle with love and mischief.

I can hear the roaring of cargo plane engines
as they land on the runway
and helicopter rotars as they lift off the ground  
But, I cannot hear our children laughing and begging me
to spin them around, one more time.

I can smell the acrid oder of fires burning
in the distance and of jet fuel exhaust
rising from the airfield.
But, I cannot smell  your perfume
that gently wafts through the air
to let me know that you have been here.

I am here and you are there.
separated by thousands of miles,
continents and oceans,
on the other side of earth.

But, I cannot escape feeling for you
the same as I did when we first met.
I cannot avoid needing you
as much as I ever did.
And, I cannot ask for a more perfect person
to call “My Love.”

To my wife Tania
From Foward Operating Base Salerno