Blessed to be Serving those who Serve to live together in peace. The place of worship was filled with tourists and the guides were talented and thorough in their presentations. The building was thronged with bare-footed tourists! December 21st dawned with the anticipation of another cod flight to an aircraft carrier. I must say that it was easier this time, but I was wary about the fact that the young Navy crewman mentioned twice the procedure to evacuate the plane in an emergency. You pay more attention to those instructions than you do on a commercial flight. Commercial runways are considerably longer and larger than the deck of an aircraft carrier! It was good to be on board the USS Abraham Lincoln and to be welcomed not only by Father Ben Garrett, but also by Admiral Mark Guadagnini, Commander of the strike group, Captain John D. Alexander, the Skipper of the ship, the Executive Officer, many of the chaplains and others. The time aboard was precious and offered a number of opportunities to interact with the crew. A very special moment was the confirmation of six members of the crew and the first Holy Communion for one of them. We celebrated on the hangar deck and it was quite impressive. The crowd was standing room only and the celebration was beautifully prepared and organized. Immediately afterward the combined efforts of the Gospel, Protestant, and Catholic Choirs produced a beautiful Christmas concert. The talent of the soloists and the others was incredible. The Christmas mood was pervasive and the joy contagious. Every-
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one enjoyed the music and the cake and ice cream afterwards. The assembly was kind enough to sing happy birthday as I celebrated three score less one! Father Garrett and I anticipated the Mass by fifteen minutes the next day and learned that others had been planning to join us. Even though it was not intended to be a part of the ship’s schedule, many of the Catholics wanted to participate in the Eucharist that morning. It was a good reminder of the opportunity to serve and the importance of providing this unique gift for our men and women under way as often as is possible. We pulled into port and were off the ship in good time. In addition to Father Garrett, the Executive Officer of the Lincoln accompanied me to meet Father Butler and his assistant. The internet had already told me the good news that they would bring: my suitcase had arrived just before they left to meet me. I was pleased, but have to admit that everyone had been very kind in providing anything I needed. There was a quick ride back to the airport in Abu Dhabi and then another plane ride to Qatar. I managed to convince the agent at the check-in counter that he should not check my carry-on bag, despite its offending weight! The idea of being another seven days without both bags was more than I could handle. The Qatar portion of the visit was more than memorable! General Kee, Chaplain Schaick, and Father Rowan were on hand to greet me (and my recently recovered suitcase) and took me to an abundant dinner in a quaint corner of the capital city. There was