Seems I have come full circle in my life.   In 1977, I signed up for a hitch in the Navy and ended up staying in eight years.  The first five years I detested the service and then, after advancing through the ranks, grew to like it more each year.  Then I hurt my knee and out to the civilian world I emerged, forever changed by my experience.

Now, after twenty-six years, I find myself working for the Navy again, albeit as a civilian.  I used to think of Naval Reactors as the bad guys while I was in the service.  They always seemed to cause us consternation and stress.  Now I am one of them, although so far down on the food chain as to be almost invisible.  I started my career in the Navy and I hope to end my career supporting the Navy.

Of course, the journey has not been without a few interesting twists and turns.   After my discharge from the Navy, I helped clean up the mess at Three Mile Island; twenty-five years later, I was cleaning up the mess at Hanford.  In between, I fathered a beautiful daughter, worked in two nuclear power plants, garnered two college degrees, and became a writer.  Somehow, this entity called the Holy Spirit called me, guided me, and comforted me the entire time.  No matter how bad thought things were, the Holy Spirit prevailed against the temptations and tribulations thrown my way.  Not every time mind you, but enough to win the war, despite losing a few battles along the way.  Now, I realize that not every lost battle is a defeat; no, it is a learning experience, and makes us stronger for the future.  The best is yet to come!  

And then I hear the price of peanut butter is going to skyrocket!  Must be Jimmy Carter's revenge.