Reflections from a soldier...

After I posted about my sister coming home, I checked me email and realized that I had one from Allie. She was letting everyone know that she was heading home and she reflected a little about her journey. It really put things into perspective for me. I thought it was really powerful and I was crying by the end. I think the last one is especially moving.

Goodbye hot, dusty, brown days, hello cold, snowy, all the colors of the rainbow days;
Goodbye 20 hour missions, hello 20 hours of fun;
Goodbye being on the road for hours and not being able to pee, hello rest stops all down the highway;
Goodbye same old chow for 9 months, hello culinary variety;
Goodbye not getting to eat for 10 or so hours b/c of missions, hello food at my fingertips;
Goodbye walking over 100 yards to the bathroom; hello bathroom about 5 steps away;
Goodbye boring people who are too good for everything but not good at anything, hello people of interest;
Goodbye flies buzzing around and landing on my lips; hello...uh no flies on my lips?;
Goodbye potentially deadly liesmaniasis (sp?) mosquitoes, hello bug spray that works;
Goodbye small quarters I share with someone, hello small quarters in a small house, but it's mine;
Goodbye faded uniforms with velcro that doesn't stick and holes in my butt, hello sweats and jeans and T-shirts and sweaters and tennis shoes;
Goodbye electricity that fades in and out, hello lights and heat and air;
Goodbye clothes that are stiff b/c they are only boiled not washed, hello Downy and Cheer;
Goodbye every where you go smells like a fart or some other foul body odor, hello scented candles and perfume;
Goodbye wearing 70 lbs of gear to leave the gate, hello jeans and a jacket in my Jeep;
Goodbye hardest thing I have ever done, hello freedom!!