Happy New Year

...So it has come to pass that another year is beyond me, and what a year it was!  Everything conceivable and inconceivable happened in the past 12 months.....from my fiance getting pregnant, then suffering through the miscarriage....my assignment to Korea for the first time at 19+ years of service...my daughter getting married and my son in college...and my soon to be stepdaughter going through her terrible twos in full force.  I have seen and experienced the rebirth of my career through the actions and efforts of what is probably the best bunch of Soldiers I've ever been charged with (and I've had some really good ones throughout the years).  I am engaged to be married to a wonderful, beautiful woman (Sophia), but as with all things, the road isn't as smooth as it once was...the distance from here to Florida is invading my relationship.....and I'm not sure what to do to prevent it.  As I embark on the next 365 days of my life, I know that there are things that need to be done and taken care of on my part....matters of the heart and mind....things that are long overdue to be dealt with.  I've always had an aversion to seeking "professional" help because I'm way too guarded to open up like I'd be required to, but the time has come....I've tried to deal with things on my own for far too long and I've reached that proverbial plateau where I can't do this by myself anymore.  I'm of an age where if I don't take the risk of getting an outside hand, the rest of my life will be nothing like it could be. My military career is rounding the bend and will reach it's conclusion in the next 18-30 months, depending on how I feel...could be sooner but not much later.  I sure as hell don't need to carry bags I should've but down ages ago into the future...