GX-The National Guard Magazine

Many of the articles in this great magazine deal with mind over matter. The positive mindset can over come so many obstacles.

The color photos and stories of the battles our men have seen overseas, both in Iraq and Afganistan is mind boggling. These same men must come home and  find civilian jobs and operate in a "civilized" society. Unless you've been there, done that, I imagine the task is difficult at best.

The articles can help the rest of us going through tramatic experiences. One article I'll keep is entitled, Inner Strenth-Its all about your attitude.

Written by Chaplain  Mark D. Philips, he delves into the idea of embracing the chaos. If we can realize that disappointments are as common as success, we can establish realistic expectations. This seems hard, because we want to control our world, and all the disappointments are hard to accept. Yet if we can, the Chaplain says, it will help us not to feel overwhelmed by things we can't control.

He talks about growth, looking toward the future with the attitude that This Too Shall Pass. He says it like this "And it came to pass" as though the current crisis is part of a time line, a story, just one minor event. The event could change our path. It doesn't have to completely.

I really liked how he incorporated Michael Jordon's quote into the final statement: never quit.

MJ said " I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost more than 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot and  I missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that's precisely why I succeed."