Last week, I finally, finally, finally GOT A JOB after having lost my job on Halloween. I've been temping at this firm (43 miles from home...ouch!) for six months, never knowing if I'd be hired or not. Finally on Wednesday, I was! Just in the nick of time, too... Friday I had oral surgery to get one severely abscessed tooth removed, and antoher one that was starting to get that way...yay for dental ins., just in the nick of time.
Finally...here is the slideshow of pics from the day of Major Jenrette's service. Community support was HUGE. This next week, another Georgia National Guard Hero will be laid to rest in Calhoun, GA. I will be unable to attend due to work, but my prayers are with the family.
Yet another of our Georgia National Guard Heroes has fallen... Any time we lose a hero, it's way "too soon" -- but we just laid to rest the other three we lost less than two weeks ago... and already, here, another hero fallen... No more, please... they need to stay nice and safe and not get so much as a scratch, please... War sucks. It's necessary sometimes, but that doesn't make it suck any less. God wrap yourself around each of these families (from last week, and this week) and give them Your comfort, Your strength, Your peace... walk with them every step of the way and hold them up...their lives have been horrifically shattered, and will never be the same again. I don't know the "right" thing to pray, except to say, "God, help them... please."
I haven't yet had a chance to fill y'all in regarding Major Jenrette's service, nor the amazing "Welcome Home" for a wounded hero last week. I'll get to it later on, hopefully - but for now, I must honor 1SGT Blair... we will never, ever forget his service and sacrifice...never, ever take our freedom for granted... Thank you, sir... you WILL NOT be forgotten.
From a North Georgia news channel, Channel 9, comes this article:
That we most certainly will.. prayers going out for all, continuously.North Georgia Soldier Killed in Action
Richard Simms
June 22, 2009 - 2:34PM
A North Georgia soldier has been killed in combat in Afghanistan.
First Sergeant John D. Blair, 38, of Gordon County, Ga. was killed when
his vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade on June 20.
First Sergeant Blair was a former deputy sheriff in Gordon County, and was later attached to the Drug Task Force as part of the Georgia Army National Guard's counter-drug operations.
Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston issued the following statement:
"It is with great sadness & regret that the Sheriff's Office received official notice from the Department of Defense that First Sergeant John D. Blair, age 38, of Gordon County, and was killed in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on June 20th. The Department of Defense has reported that Blair was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle near Mado Zayi.
"John was a former deputy sheriff here in Gordon County, and was later attached to the local Drug Task Force as part of the Georgia Army National Guard's counter-drug operations for several years. John served as a full-time deputy sheriff from June, 1994 until August, 1998 when he left the Sheriff's Office to assume full time duties in the National Guard.
"During his local service with the National Guard's counter-drug operations, John served as a reserve deputy sheriff from October, 2006 until December, 2008, when his National Guard unit was mobilized for duty in Afghanistan. He was an extraordinarily skilled operative, specializing in covert drug-enforcement surveillance.
"During his time in the Sheriff's Office, John served as a jail officer, deputy sheriff, & sheriff's detective. He also served on the Office's honor guard, & SWAT team. His former superiors described him as an exemplary officer. He was officially commended on a number of occasions during his law enforcement service here. John remained very close friends with members of the Sheriff's Office, and officers communicated with him by telephone & email in the days & weeks preceding his death.
"Sheriff's Office employees were shaken at the news of John's death. The flags at the Sheriff's Office complex are being flown at half-staff, and deputies are wearing black ‘mourning' bands over their badges in honor of Blair.
"Sheriff Ralston said, 'John was a patriot, a truly dedicated & excellent peace officer. He met our America's enemies bravely, and laid down his life in the service of his people, his community, and his Country which he loved so much. He will be missed, but he will never be forgotten. Please keep John's family & friends in your thoughts and prayers."
DoD Identifies Army CasualtiesThe Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died June 4 near Kapisa, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, Calhoun, Ga.
Killed were:
Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette, 37, of Lula, Ga.,
Staff Sgt. John C. Beale, 39, of Riverdale, Ga., and
Spc. Jeffrey W. Jordan, 21, of Rome, Ga.
Sadly, our friend from church passed away on Monday, April 20, 2009. :( Your prayers are all appreciated for his family! The Patriot Guard Riders came out in full force to honor James, a Vietnam Veteran and All Around Great Guy. The memorial on Friday was amazing. If we could only touch 1/16th of the people he touched in his lifetime, we'd be doing fantastic. He made a huge difference in many lives!!!!! More people were at the church on Friday, than were at church on Easter Sunday. The sanctuary of 400+ seats was 100% filled, and there were about a hundred or so more out in the lobby, watching on tv screens.
Here is an article in the Loganville Tribune about him:
Beloved counselor to be laid to restThe Loganville Tribune
Published April 24, 2009WALTON COUNTY — There are many people in Walton County and the surrounding area that credit James Green with helping turn their lives
around. And because of this, The Orchard Church in Loganville is expecting a large turnout for his memorial service this afternoon. Green, 56, of Monroe, died Monday following a motorcycle accident over the weekend while participating in a charitable fund-raising event for the Dreamhouse, a charity for medically fragile children.“There’s a lot of people he’s touched in the area, both in the church and out, and he will be missed,” said Tony Ford, a fellow member of The Orchard Church and also a fellow counselor in a 12-Step recovery program working with people battling addiction. “James was the first person I met when I first became involved in the program more than three years ago.”Ford credits Green with helping him turn his life around, beating his addiction, turning to God and eventually joining Green in his attempts to help others battle the same demons.“I didn’t like him at first — I didn’t like what he had to say,” Ford said. “He told the truth and it stung. But eventually he got through to me and that had a lot to do with where I am at today.”Ford said Green’s testimony was deeply routed in his own problems with drugs many years ago, his subsequent recovery and his profound Christian faith.“He and his wife Rhonda, they were a team and they did so much for the community,” Ford said. “He has sponsored so many children to youth camps when they didn’t have the money and he sponsored people to go to the Promise Keepers conferences too.”Green, who with his wife owned and operated Commercial Electric Inc. in Loganville was a Vietnam veteran and a member of The Orchard Church board of directors. But Ford said it was his work with addicts and “at-risk” teens for which he was most well-known, working through the Walton County Juvenile Center and the Prime for Life Intervention Program.“He also went into jails and institutions and he always had a message of hope,” Ford said. “That man was one of a kind — he will be missed.”Green, who is survived by his wife, Rhonda, his children Nicole, Chelsie and Jimmy, will be memorialized at a ceremony at 4 p.m. today at The Orchard Church on Highway 81 in Loganville. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Dreamhouse for Medically Fragile Children, P O Box 1562,
Snellville, 30078 or IEC PAC Fund, 4401 Ford Ave., Suite 1100 Alexandria, Va.
22302.
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Got word today that a friend of ours from church was injured severely during a fundraising charity motorcycle ride today. They life-flighted him to a hospital in Augusta (GA), where he is stable but unresponsive. Latest word is that his brainstem may be crushed. It is very scary.. please pray for him, his wife and two kids, and our church, which is in shock.
sheesh, I haven't posted here since JANUARY???? How lame of me...bad blogger, bad! *puts self in corner*. This is a quickie update post....
…forgive me if you already know some of this.
No, I don’t have a job yet. Not a “real” one. I’ve been temping at a firm since January 5… in about 2-3 weeks, I’ll know if they are going to keep this as a permanent position, or if I’m back to square one. Please keep your fingers crossed!
Yes, we are still in our house, thanks be to God. spoke with the mortgage co yesterday, to let them know I will know “soon” if I have a real job or not. They were very accommodating and have really amazed me at how helpful they have been. They were able to get HUD to pay 7 months of our mortgage for us (which is like a "silent" second loan, they said - will make payments for that loan at end of our mortgage like any other loan). We won't have to make another mortgage payment till July 1 (and then, every month thereafter like normal). IF I don't get this job permanently, we have another five months of HUD loan available, where HUD will pay the mortgage and we'll pay them back at end of mortgage. After our mortgage is a year old (which it isn't quite yet), they may be able to do a loan modification if needed.
But anyway, long story short, we are OK for now. So long as I have a real job by June, so we can make our normal mortgage payment in July, we'll be OK. And if not, we still may have an additional five months in which to find a job for me. I’d rather have a real job NOW, thank you very much, but that remains to be seen. Ack!
I started back to college on March 24 -- I’m going to Shorter College, taking their accellerated adult degree program. In only 33 months, I’ll have my Bachelor’s in Business admin. It’s only one night a week, so it’s very manageable. And only one class at a time, five weeks each, so my brain won’t get cluttered with more than one topic at a time (which is very important! LOL). Next class I’m taking starts Tuesday: Logic and critical thinking. :) Wish me luck!
OK, gotta run, got mounds of work to do. Will blog more, soon, once I have something worth blogging about! :)
OPERATION LOVE FROM HOME VALENTINE'S CARD DRIVE FOR DEPLOYED TROOPS The Mission: To collect at least 3,000 Valentine's Day cards for troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all over the world. We are also collecting Hershey's Kisses and Hershey's Hugs – the more, the better! The Reason: Being away from home and living in harsh conditions with combat & constant danger is difficult ~ our troops need to know we have not forgotten them!!! Mail from home helps to keep our troops' morale strong, making a very real difference in their lives. It keeps them motivated and focused when they know we care about them! The Address: Send your signed, unsealed thank-you cards to the following address: OPERATION: LOVE FROM HOME P.O. Box 1660 Loganville, Georgia, 30052 ALL CARDS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2009. The Guidelines: The cards can be handmade or store-bought. This is a great opportunity to get your Scout troop, school, church/house of worship and other civic organizations involved in doing something to tangibly show support for our troops. Please do not write the date Keep the cards fun and light-hearted – this is not a dating service! Send in Valentine's candy if you are able to! :) If you have any questions, please contact us at Kat@OperationLoveFromHome. Check out our website: www. Postage costs are our biggest expense, and we are also in need of funds to file our 501(c)(3) application with the IRS. Donations towards postage and/or IRS filing fees are most gratefully accepted!Today, we got our very first batch of Valentine's cards and Hershey's kisses in the mail! So, our grand total so far is 24 Valentine's cards towards our 3,000-card goal. I know there are lots of y'all out there working on getting cards, making cards, writing letters, etc, and for that, I thank you tremendously. Seriously, every single card makes a difference! Remember, they have to be here in Loganville no later than 1/31 -- not much time, but we've done it before, and I know we'll do it again this year!More updates in the days/weeks to follow! :)visit www.OperationLoveFromHome.org and click on the link that says "card drives" for more info. :)* * *
So, I got my annual registration/tag renewal for my purty, much-loved lill PT Cruiser that we bought in March, and paid it today (had to pay it right away so that my 09 sticker for my license plate would be delivered before my birthday - the expiration date of the old one). $199.01 for my car for annual reg./tag renewal! OUCH! Oh yeah, and another $15 to renew my license for five more years...that also expires on my birthday. Happy 36 to me, a month early. Ack! LOL
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