He told us all about Iraq. He explained the difference between Shiite and Sunni. He told us the difference between Arabic and Kurdish. He showed us the difference between different cities, who was friendly and who was hostile. He was fantastic.
Well, I was asking him questions, and something that he said really stood out to me. He was explaining to me the difference between Iraq now and what it was before the Americans came. He said to me, "The Iraqi government sucks. I say Iraqi government sucks. We free. When Saddam is in charge, I don't talk about the government. If I say government is bad, two days later, I gone. Nobody asks where I go or they get in trouble. Now I say the government is bad. We free." Probably twenty times this week, he said, "We free." It was ironic because he didn't care about how bad the government was, all he cared about was how he was free.
He was the best interpreter I have ever had. When we needed him, he jumped out of the car enthusiastically. He helped us every chance we get. He was absolutely fantastic.
He understood what freedom was.
Freedom is not easy life. It's just freedom. I'll let you do your own interpretation.
4 comments:
Bobby,
Cool deal; I enjoy hearing "the rest of the story" the media never tells. Keep up the good work and keep the " stories coming.
Love, Dad
"Freedom is not an easy life. It's just freedom."
Those are really, really powerful words, especially in the context of our walk with God. It made me think about a couple of areas where He has provided freedom for me. Just because I have freedom there now doesn't mean it is suddenly easy... but it is freedom, as you said. I keep getting hung up on that one line -- "It's just freedom." So simple, yet so true.
This post made me think of a song by Nichole Nordeman called No More Chains. I won't list all the lyrics, but here's my favorite part -- I think it goes right along with this post:
"I traded love for a heavy chain
Another link every other day
I wonder now if the choice was mine
The door was open, I walked inside
Nobody had my arm twisted
Nobody made me stay
The face of freedom can show up small
A tiny crack in a prison wall"
The song is more powerful when you're actually listening to it, but still -- so much truth in it.
Such a powerful reminder of what freedom means. Many in America take freedom for granted. We use our rights on a daily basis with no thought as to what it means to be free. That at many times in our history men and women have fought hard to ensure that we are and remain free. Thank you for showing how precious freedom is and how truly fortunate we are to live in a country where we free. In continuous prayer.
Jenna
Woot. Bobbies the man
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