Just One Riesen To Live

I have been counseling a lot of soldiers. The majority of which are not Christian. Some soldiers who see me do not come because of my incredible counseling skilz. They come because they believe I can give the commander a referral for their discharge. Recently I have met with a couple soldiers who openly did not want anything to do with my faith. I do not push it and I am not offended in those situations. It is a part of my commitment to help every soldier in any way that I can regardless of personal faith, philosophy, color, creed, etc.

I am 42 years old. That makes me twice as old as the average troop in my battalion. I have had many years to iron the wrinkles outta life. I know who I am, how I'm wired. I am and have been securely in love with my wife for many years. I know what I'm doing vocationally till I die. All the really hard questions and challenges in life have been dealt with for me.

Some of the young men who come to me do so because they feel "overwhelmed" with where they are at. Throw in a new marriage, a new baby, a new unit, an old war and they are wondering why it is hard to sleep at night.

The stress and the concerns associated with any one of those things is enough. When you add them all together a young man ends up with runaway thoughts, sleepless nights and failing performance.

Suicide is way up in the Army and National Guard. The newest statistics given at our last brief were staggering. The overwhelming majority of deaths were Caucasian, 18-26, and infantryman. It was such a spike in the graph all eyes were immediately drawn to it. The young men in my unit run a higher risk (10x) than any other military profession.

The campaigns to get the word out are really good. The military's response seems appropriate. Now it is at my door step. They are coming, they are knocking, they are seeking. Some of them are walking a fine line and are peering over the edge thinking it would be easier to just give up.

It doesn't take much at that point. Just a little push or a little pull, one way or the other.

That is what I'm here for. I'm here to give them a reason to live. A reason to hold on, A reason to hope, A reason to believe that things can and will get better is only they do not buy into the lies this world tells them.

I recently discovered an old favorite; a candy from way back. It is a little something for those times when I'm missing the sweetness; the good stuff of life.

I love my chocolates. They are little attitude boosters. Wouldn't it seem silly not to share them with someone else in need if I believe it would help them too.

Isn't that what we do with Jesus though? Don't we hold him back sometimes? Aren't we reluctant to share?

The sweetest thing is life is definitely free, Share the sweetness today…

Blessings