I am just going outside. I may be some time.

I always knew this day would come—not how, or when, or why, just that it would.

The reasons I could give for pulling the plug on "From My Position..." are actually pretty few.  I could list them, fisk them, lay them all out...

But I won't.

I will simply thank you, for your time reading my story, for sharing this journey of recovery and healing with me.  I thank the vast majority of you who took my words at face value, who did not read into them for deeper meaning.  I thank those who took offense and came forward with discussion, and those who simply enjoyed sharing the journey. I am truly humbled by the outpouring of your tremendous support--for me, for Project VALOur-IT, for Soldiers Angels, for the Warrior Ride, for all of the encouragement and the years of seeing me and my family through really tough times.

I thank you all--and I thank a few in particular:

Carren—the Mrs.  She who will gripe and bitch about how much time I spend "playing with that infernal contraption" but who knows that this has helped me heal immeasurably, and somewhere, secretly, loves that I found a healthy outlet, when so many unhealthy ones were available.  She’ll go back to being my sole sounding board, my keeper of secrets, of bearing the all burdens I cannot shoulder by myself. 

Code Monkey--From a reader who sometimes commented, to meeting at a milblogcon, to an agreement to tweak some code over a few drinks in PF Chang's, to being the person who goes so far as to decorate for Christmas around here, make fundraising simply work for VALOur-IT (more years than not, if it wasn't for her, we'd not have raised a dime) and who, from time to time, has had the temerity  to tell me I was off sides, out of line, way off base, or worse, that I was really funny.

Matt, Greyhawk, Jimbo, Blake, Blue, CJ, John, Bill, Maryann, and of course, Patti.  People without whom I could never have recovered.  People without whom this sometimes ribald attempt at free expression would have suddenly stopped in 2005, when it was still in its infancy.  These are people whom I have come to rely on in my hour(s) of need.  Sounding boards, encouragers, enablers, gray-bearded wisdom and often the people who roll their eyes and let me run with scissors.

I pause to thank all the good people at the Gun Blog Rendezvous--thank you for being such gracious hosts, and opening your hearts to me and SA/VALOur-IT.  Your kindness has impacted so many lives. I am humbled to even be a tangential part of it.

I am locking the doors here, turning out the lights when I eventually forget to pay the bill, and forwarding the mail to a box I'll check when it suits me.  So many people have helped make this an exciting and enjoyable place to be, and I am amazed that over a million people have read (at least some) of my words.  Maybe I'll revisit this in a year, or a month, or next Thursday, maybe I'll never return to being a milblogger or facebooker or tweeter or whatever.

Maybe I'll build a new place, a new site where I focus on being an “other-than-the-military” blogger.  I might build a site where I don't talk politics, military or otherwise.  Perhaps there's a new place I can expound on topics and trades and hobbies I've picked up over the years, of fond memories and daily experiences. Maybe, someday, I'll find that place--perhaps it's over the next hill, just around the next curve, just another few steps.

Then again, maybe I won't.

--Chuck

Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!