Well, I'm back from an extended holiday blogging break. Call it "back from walkabout." Not that I've completely been able to stay away from weblogs. I've been reading quite a few in the last two months, leaving an odd comment here or there. But holidays are a time for friends and family, so I've been using my computer time mainly to chat with those who are close to me.

Of course I've been fortunate to visit many loved ones including both my family and my girlfriend's. I also made a very special visit that I want to write about to a friend of mine, Steve.

I met Steve through his wife, Jacquie, with whom I shared the experience of 'first year teacher,' several years ago. I've met few people with as quirky a sense of humor as Steve has, and he's always cracking jokes and clowning around. Needless to say, we became fast friends. But then they moved to the city. Something about being with family and wanting to raise their own....

Apparently, this is quite a time-consuming endeavor, because we've only been able to manage a few visits since. But then I got word that Steve was being called up. Steve is in the Reserves. His unit was being sent overseas to serve a few months in Iraq, so his family decided to throw a surprise party in his honor before he shipped out. I went up there with my girlfriend (who is also a friend of the couple) to be part of the surprise. They couldn't believe we made the journey. I couldn't imagine not going.

There was a huge turnout. When I had the opportunity to talk with Steve a little bit, I told him what a great service he was doing. I told him that Iraq can be a shining example of what is possible for everyone who is suffering under Islamic theocracies. I told him I thought it would make us safer at home, too, having a friendly island of democracy in the Middle East.

I knew it was hard for him to leave his family, so I waited for his reaction. He smiled. Then he told me how refreshing it was to hear that point of view. Lots of people, he said, were telling him that we shouldn't even be in Iraq, but he sincerely believed in the mission and the potentially great things that could come from it. He talked about the oppression of women and the genocide that had taken place there before the U.S. came in. We shared a long idealistic discussion of our dreams for building a better world.

Steve left for Iraq last month, but he just sent me some great pictures. They show Iraqi men and women holding signs of thanks to America and President Bush, Iraqi kids playing with U.S. soldiers, and other moments of warmness between Saddam Hussein's former subjects and their liberators. You won't often see those kinds of pictures in the mainstream media.

Please say a prayer for Steve, his family, and all of our heroes who are serving in Iraq when you get the chance.