What the heck are you doing, dirtbag????

Holy Crap.
We had our first service dress (fancy uniform) inspection today and I did just great. Absolutely, positively, out-friggin' standing. I wore the wrong pants. :)
No joke. Apparently there are two types of pants you can wear with a service dress uniform - one washable, one dry-clean only. The washable pair don't match the service dress jacket in shade of blue or weave. I didn't know this until yesterday when the ALS instructor said "Be sure your pants match your jacket!! I don't want to see any washable pants out there tommorrow!"
Who decided it would be a good idea to make two versions of the same uniform when one is acceptable and one isn't? Who decided to not tell anybody about it, either??? Maybe I just didn't get the memo. I do know I wasn't aware of it until it was to late to change anything. I guess I could have showed up in my shirt and underwear, but I'm a little to shy for that.

There's a poem I keep on my water bottle, and it goes something like this:

I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.

It is written by D.H. Lawrence and is used in G.I. Jane. I'm having trouble remembering it at the moment (rather, the lesson it teaches). That's why it's written on the bottle.

Nearly everything important I touch is turning to crap. First the truck, then the uniforms (still haven't been able to get a good set of BDU's), now what? More than the poems, I am struggling to remember Scriptures like

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Phil 4:4-8 (NIV)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? -Romans 8:26-35 (NIV)

Psalm 51 and the entire book of Job apply as well. What the heck is going on? I'm not afraid of God knowing my heart, he already does. He sees my struggles and knows that at least I am trying even if I am limited in ability (whether it is my fault or not). But how do I get the instructors to know that? In this case, they need to. They need to see that I'm not normally such a dirtbag and hate it when other people are. Good grief. Well, at least it's good grief and not bad grief.

Time is short. I gotta eat lunch for the next round of you sucks and I didn't get it agains.

Grace,

Danny