Like old times, almost

Returning to Baghdad after several days on the road, and sometimes nearly off the road, was almost like coming home. OK, I know that's a stretch, but it felt really good.

We had a clean hotel room waiting with hot showers, the first with hot water since we left last Tuesday. We had dinner at Candles just around the corner from our hotel, although it had to be a quick dinner, since, by the time we got there, it was nearly 5 p.m., closing time in these days of everyone rushing to get home before nightfall because of the security problems.

And like coming home, we ran into people we hadn't seen in a long while. As we were going back to our hotel after dinner, I heard someone shouting my name from a passing car. It was a man who had helped me last year when I was in Iraq.

After we had exchanged greetings and he hopped back in his car, Dan and I walked around the corner to our hotel and there were two former "minders," the Iraqi government people who used to keep an eye on and assist foreign visitors in Iraq. There are distinct categories for minders, and these two were definitely in the good category.

Like millions of other people here, they are out of work, trying to make any connections they can to feed their families. Unlike some people, whose ministries will be up and running, hopefully sooner rather later, these two men know that their ministry, that of information, will probably never be put back to work.

A bittersweet homecoming.