And then the waiting was over.

Today I am extraordinarily elated and dreadfully depressed at the same time. Impossible? Today I talked with my friend Soukhi for the first time in about three years. She's been stationed in Okinawa, Japan for a few years so we've had to rely on the occasional email. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not good at keeping up that way. But today we talked. And it was good. She is a friend among friends. She told me today that God has a plan for everything, even if we don't understand it right now (and we rarely do.) It turns out that His plan for me right now is for me to not get promoted. I've been waiting, like a junior asking the cheerleader captain to the prom, since Friday (actually for the last two months, while the board has been deciding, they just finished Friday) to find out if I'd been selected for promotion this year. The list came out today, and you've guessed by now that my name was not on it. I could bitch for a few paragraphs as to why my name was not on that list, but I'm not going to. I believe I've been done an injustice by my superiors, but I'm also OK with it. For two reasons. I firmly believe God was not ready for me to be promoted yet; He's got a time set for me. The second reason is this: I'm serving the greatest nation in history, as part of the greatest fighting organization in the World. While the (minute) monetary compensation, along with the respect from my peers would be nice, I don't need either to be personally successful. I'm doing the job I've been given to do and will continue to do it as a Staff Sergeant. When God and the Marine Corps decide I need to be a Gunnery Sergeant, I will be happy to pin that on my collar. Until and beyond then; I am one of those men standing ready to do violence on your behalf so you may sleep peaceful at night. Semper Fidelis.