All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth

When I was 13 I was running to go get my brother for dinner. You know, back in the day when you could roam a hundred miles from home with just an "I'm going out!" yell as you were leaving. Anyway, I missed a step and landed squarely on my chin. The impact sheered my two front teeth taking the bottom third, and most of the backside of both front teeth. The subsequent trip to the dentist got them fixed up, but the repair was only supposed to last until I was 18. Twenty some years later they finally got to the point I needed to get the original repair job replaced. Nice work for something that was only supposed to last five years.

I have a great dentist. He is nice to talk to, he knows how to give a shot into the mouth without me kicking and screaming (I actually barely feel it!), and his work is top notch. We got to talking about how everyone wants to find a good doctor and dentist. When you're younger you look for some one older with the idea that he/she is more experienced. As you get older, you get set in your ways, and you don't want your dentists or doctors to retire... ever! LOL You want to outlive them so that you know you got the best care your whole life. But alas, the sands of time stop for no mortal man.

I am looking at my calender and I see that I now have a mere 26 total days left in uniform. This includes drill weekends, annual training, and misc. additional "fun days" that I have left. I am remembering these things because Susan recently related in her blog on watching her oldest son reporting for his first drill weekend. Seasons of life. I do not remember my first drill weekend so much as I remember the experience. I was not with the unit I was assigned to, rather it was a training detachment given the task to whip is enlistees into shape and get us ready for boot camp. I remember my basic training experiences... and I remember my first drill with my unit. Maybe I will make a few entries of my experiences in the days to come... but now they are behind me... and I am looking forward to bringing this season of my life to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a National Guardsman, and I am very proud of my service, but it is time for me to bring it to a close... it will be twenty two years when all is said and done.
Verse for today:
Proverb 26:1-7, ESV
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor is not fitting for a fool.
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
a curse that is causeless does not alight.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.