This is my son-in-law and my grand daughter, captured by my daughter.  It is something about the fold of her little leg, the way her arm is tucked, her head turned, and his peacefulness.

In less than two weeks, this new Daddy will be deployed to Afghanistan for nine months.  I cannot pretend that I understand what is there worth tearing him from his daughter, his wife.  I do not understand any of it – the killing, the missionary zeal, the sense that we belong there ever, or anymore. I saw Zero Dark Thirty a couple days ago.  I did not understand what is coming to this new little family any better after that.

In preparation for whatever is to come, I am listening to a lot of Abraham.  This helps:

How do you feel about those things that you are giving most of your attention to? If there is something in your life that gives you negative emotion almost every time you think about it, we would do anything that we could do to get that negative thing out of our awareness.

May he be safe.  May he be peaceful.  May he be happy.  May he be loved.