IT ALL HAPPENS FOR A REASON

How often have you heard that phrase in life? For me... Countless times...The scenarios in which we hear this phrase are never good and the last time I heard these words was no different.

I was diagnosed with cancer shortly after my last posting .

The last month and a half has been an adventure in the exploration of mortality, life, and all those emotions surrounding the moment you are told your survival is based upon a rate or mere percentage.

For medical reasons it was impossible for me to enter into the NYCTF 2009 cohort...

I equate the difficulty of informing the fellowship that I was no longer a fellow with the feelings I had when writing the families of the soldiers under my command after their loved ones had been killed on the battlefields of Iraq.

I will not go into great detail (right now) into the surgeries and treatments I have been enduring during the past weeks but I assure you that life has not been pain free.

I am hopeful that all of my former fellow fellows are finding success during their pre service training...I am sure that the hours are long and the work difficult (and at times tedious). Keep moving forward...Keep energy levels high...Keep your eyes on the prize.

I am not sure as to the status of the hiring freeze and if it is not lifted I am hopeful that it soon will be. You all have sacrificed too much to be shafted.

Know that I am one of your biggest cheerleaders and while I cannot join you now....God willing...I will be right there with you in a mere 365 days.

I plan to continue this blog at such a time as I am strong enough to proffer intelligent thought in a format greater than bullet points....until then my friends..................

CHEERS!