You have a lovely way with words and seem to have such a strong sense of self belief despite having an ardous time of late. I hope it will serve you well on your tour of duty in Iraq.

There are so many lessons to be learnt in life and we never stop learning. As you summize, I think it is most important to keep an open and enquiring mind because we never know what is around the corner. My life is at a crossroads as yours has been … the last two years I have been reestablishing my identity.. .writing and creating.. .rediscovering the me that always was… it has been a time of great reflection. It is not always easy to move forwards when you have many commitments. Trying to balance the role of wife and mother with that of my individual needs has not been easy. I’ll end with a philospohical statement; Life’s a bugger at times isn’t it?!

You write extremely well. Do keep writing.

Indeed, things happen really fast. In a second, we can be changed forever. The life will knew will never be the same again… and the only thing we can do is accept change and live accordingly.