Missing in Action - Prisoners of War

This is a photo of a reserved dining table at the Moody Air Force Base Dining Facility called the Georgia Pines. What is it? It is a formally dressed table that is reserved for those airmen who are Missing in Action and Prisoners of War. I was so struck by it I had to pass it on to you. These airmen eat every meal with the expectation that their missing comrades will one day return to eat with them. Their table is waiting. Dr. D.

Making an Adjustment

Is there something in life that doesn't take an adjustment? I've talked with airmen, low ranking and officers, who are having difficulty adjusting. Some to marriage, some to the military environment, some to medical conditions. Well, I have one to make also. I'm leaving this assignment at Moody Air Force Base next week. I was to have 8 days at home then go to Ft Bragg which is near home. A calamity elsewhere caused my employer to ask me to leave home sooner and go to another air force base in TEXAS! Go figure? So I have an adjustment to make. Less time at home; moving to another time zone; and no chance of getting home during the assignment AND I have to help out in a problem situation. So, is there something in life that doesn't take an adjustment? I think not. Fortunately for me, I have plenty of experience and I have confidence in my Lord who is with me in every situation. So, I can sit back and relax because I am certain to be able to manage successfully. I believe that about you, too. Regardless of what is happening, you are built to endure and thrive. Dr. D.

Relational Disconnecting

As I get to the close of this assignment I begin to understand again what it is like to connect and disconnect and reconnect in one's relationships. It is not a simple task. It reminds me that things happen in a family, in a marriage, that causes folks to disconnect, among siblings, between parents, between parents and kids. They are in the same house, doing much the same things they do all the time, but it is obvious to everyone that they have disconnected. The real challenge comes in trying to reconnect. It almost seems more difficult than the gradual disconnecting that already happened. Yet, in order for a family, a marriage, well, shoot, a person to thrive, that reconnecting must take place. If ya can't seem to find a way to do that, sit with the person you wish to reconnect to and simply say "I can't seem to find a way back to you. Let's try to do that together." It is not reconnecting, but it is recognizing that sometimes reconnecting is much more difficult than the disconnecting. Make it happen. Dr. D.

Easter Miracle

Today I spent some time with airmen and their families at Easter services in the Moody AFB Chapel. Airmen, well, military folks in general, remind me always of Easter. They are knocked down but always seem to thrive. They suffer, but always seem to remain confident. They are often separated from the ones they love, but their love stays strong. These things have Easter written all over them. Think of the ways you have thrived in hard times and you'll notice Easter living in you, too. Happy Easter. Dr. D.