The trials of life and its Curveballs

A brother Scot Sanders gave me this at the beinning of my 2nd (and his 3rd) deployment to Iraq. I retain it with me today.

DO WHAT IS RIGHT ANYWAY

People are often unreasonable,

Illogical and self Centered;

Love them anyway.

If you are kind,

People may acuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

You will win some false friends and some true enemies:

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

People may cheat you;

you spend years building,

Someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

They may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

People will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, iIt is between you and God;

It never was between you and them anyway.

4-11: The Dasht-e-Margo

The Karez can be seen on the left side of this photo taken near Lakshar Gah. They look like a series of giant ant hillson the edge of the town and can be built by many generations.

Thie sharp escarpment is at the tail of the Hindu Kush between Delaram and Shindand. The topography is mesmerizing here.

~~~~~~~~

The Dasht-e-Margo Desert covers a wide swath of southern Afghanistan and, is intersected into parcels by the north/south Helmand and Farah Rivers. The rivers bring significance to this wide desert terrain for it is within these valleys that people live and thrive because of the waters there. The Helmand River is one of five major river systems in Afghanistan and rises from its source in the Hindu Kush mountain range. This river drains 30% of all water in the Afghanistan State. Kandahar sits near the northeastern boundary of this desert and US Marine Corps outposts straddle the Helmand River. Recently, operations in Marjah brought to light the importance of the irrigation channels where the most recent poppy crop was being readied for harvest. The channels were created in the 1960s by the United States to help Afghanistan develop its own sources of food. The poppy brings the farmer exponentially more money and the farmers use this money to buy food, build their homes and, in some cases, to fuel more nefarious deeds.

An interesting feature in the landscape is the Karez. The Karez system is a means to convey subsurface water from one location to another by excavating holes and then tunneling to the direction of the water outfall. this ancient system has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years. A series of holes is dug to ground water, then tunnels connect the path of water to its outfall where then it is used for personal use, washing clothes, drinking, farming, and for livestock. The Karez water is a surficial aquifer relied on by most towns and villages as their only source of water.

A program is on-going to drill to depths of 800-1500 feet to extract water from deep aquifers so as not to affect the Karez. To date this program has been very successful and has produced water of high quality. One day, when the coalition forces leave, these legacy wells will remain for use by the people of Afghanistan to improve their lives and improve regional stability. The men and women participating in this effort are completely dedicated to performing expeditiously to establish as many wells as possible in a constrained time frame. The distances and terrain they have to traverse is often difficult and fraught with danger. Yet they press on. They are true professionals.

Kandahar
4.11.10

Easter in Kandahar, Afghanistan 2010

It's been some time since I posted so I will endeavour to recap some past events on future blogs. Today will be reported in real time...

I awoke to the sound of fighters launching themselves down the runway. It was uncommon to hear eight of them blast into the Afghanistan skies one after the other as usually it is two maybe four. Today, it would be a bad day for some bad people. The morning was uncharacteristically clear and devoid of the dust that has a tendency to linger in the atmosphere here at Kandahar.

This is my second Easter here in Afghanistan. And being in such a foreign land plays with the emotions. The isolation teaches you a lot about your strengths, your weaknesses and, if properly harnessed, can build. Unfortunately, it can also tear down so you have to pay some attention to that.

I was not caught up in work today and my mind wandered. I let it take me where it would and there is freedom in letting your mind do what it needs to do. Today was a "reset" day for me. Easter is a "reset" day - a renewal, a reminder of what is important and to set our sight on those things. To close my day, I attended the Anglican service in the rich tradition of the English Church. The service was calming and a fitting end to a day that should recenter us. I took communion and upon returning to my chair in the chapel, the sun was juxtaposed such that it beamed through the colored glass upon my face. It was a reaffirmation to me of what the day had been. This was a pure and clear light.

At the closing, the Priest prayed for two men, both 19 years old who had lost their lives in combat this week. Young men sent by their country to fight on this foreign soil. I will never understand the complexities of war and the manifestation of evil.

I am thankful that I will return home soon.

God's Peace,

RSN