....and then

Those two words are so powerful. I mean apart they are words that hold things together, but together they create. ...and then he kissed her. ...and then she took her last breath. ...and then he walked away. ...and then she was alone. ...and then.

There are so many life changing thing that happen after and then. We all are hoping for the ....and then they lived happily ever after. We wish and pray all our lives for that type of ending. One that is exactly what we have been hoping for, but there is the other ending. The one that we all dread and pray never comes.

I got one of those today. I all started with a follow up appointment at my batallion PA's office. We talked, she charted, I descibed. You know the usual things you do with your doctor. And then...(there are those two magic words) it happened. She was wrapping up our session and telling me what needed to be done. She said, "I will talk to Dr. Adams (the Brigade surgeon) about getting you another evaluation...and then start the process of moving you into the WTU (Warrior Transition Unit = the injuried soldiers unit). This will mean extending your ets date by a couple of months. Sorry, but I don't want this coming at you from left field."

So there it is. My "and then". One of those that changes your life. Maybe it seems extremely small, but when you are living it any "and then" feels huge.