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"November 11, 2019"   Prompt: "Veterans Day"I don't recall doing an entry for November 11. I left early that morning to go to work. Thank you Applebee's for the delicious sirloin for Veteran's Day and thank you Golden Corral for the buffet in honor of Veteran's Day. I am a veteran who lives at the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville WV so every day is veterans day to me. I served in the US Army for a very short period of time and was injured so I was discharged. Even though I brought the injury on myself by making choices I would not make today, the guys here at the veterans home assure me I am just as much a veteran as somebody who served in combat. They all tell me I became a veteran in their eyes the moment I raised my right hand and took the oath to serve. The fact that I was discharged from Basic Training due to injury/illness that made me unfit for service does not seem to pause them. I often beat up on myself for not being able to complete the course but they do not. Perhaps they are correct. What makes us veterans is not necessarily how long we served, but the fact that we served at all. I still would have liked to have carried out my intentions and made a career out of the military, but it was not meant to be. Today I serve in the army of the Kingdom of God. The branch I serve is the Salvation Army, a universal evangelical movement started by General William Booth in London England in 1865. The Salvation Army is best known for the benevolence programs we offer, particularly the Christmas programs and feeding the homeless, but we are so much more than that. We are also a church that holds regular worship services. Our officers and soldiers are our ministers. The officers are the commanders in a hierarchy just like the army, but we are all Christians united to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the end of the globe. I have been a soldier for two years and likely will remain a soldier until the day I close my eyes in death. I serve the Huntington WV Corps, Maryland-West Virginia Division, USA Southern Territory. I am the corps community outreach coordinator, welcome sergeant, men's minister,men's club treasurer, and adult Sunday school teacher. As the Community Outreach Coordinator my duties include nursing home ministry (I am chaplain of the West Virginia Veterans Home under the Salvation Army umbrella, jail ministry), and other outreach programs. As a soldier I signed a covenat with the army called a Soldier's Covenant declaring that I would abstain from certain activities and intentionally carry out other activities. For example a soldier does not use tobacco or alcohol/other drugs and a soldier does not divorce. A soldier walks a Christian walk and reads the word of God, preaches/teaches the word of God, and maintains a level of integrity. I am humbled to be a part of this organization.     |
"November 16, 2019"  Prompt: "Why do you blog?"I blog for the same reason I do any other writing: I enjoy it! I also like competing and winning prizes and titles such as Blogger of the week. Maybe it's a bit vain and I don't usually go for vanity in myself, but I thrive on the idea of winning prizes for my writing efforts. I have been a writer for nearly fifty years and have yet to be paid any real cash for my efforts. The only pay off I can reallly get it in the comments I receive from others and knowing that possibly, just possibly, something I said or wrote may have meant something special to them. I am a peer support specialist vocationally. My whole life is wrapped up in supportive services. If my writing can in some way help another person achieve something good in their life then that is all the pay off I need. Of course winning some prizes or titles along the way is also very beneficial because it tells me that I am on the right track. It also strokes my ego and we all need our egos stroked from time to time.  The main reason I write nowadays is to have the opportunity to brag about what Jesus Christ has done in my life. I don't want to come across as "preachy" but my life has changed so drastically since I became a Christian that even I do not recognize myself. I was a train wreck before to put it very mildly. I was mean, evil, right down cruel. All of that has changed since I was saved. I love to brag about Jesus and writing gives me the venue to do so. Today I hold down two jobs, one part time and one full time. I also attend college two days per week as a part time student and will graduate in December 2019 with a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree and a minor in history. None of this would have been possible without Jesus. Writing gives me the chance to express my gratitude and just possibly shed some seeds of light for others to follow. I know there are people who read my blog who struggle daily. Those struggles may be addictions or other life related problems.. I overcame both a mental illness (bi-polar disorder) and drug addiction. Part of my solution was my faith but I did not start my journey to recovery through faith. I started it by applying principles to my life that literally changed my thought patterns and behaviors. I am more than happy to share those with anybody who wants a non-religious solution to life's entanglements. Just hit me up and we'll talk. Prompt: "Do you wander when you go shopping, or are you focused on a prepared list?"I hate shopping, so I go in, get what I need, and get out of Dodge! |
| "November 15, 2019" Prompt: "What’s the greatest advice you’ve ever been given? What if you lived solely according to it?" The greatest advice I have ever been given was to trust Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I did so and my life and my personality have completely changed. At one time I was addicted to drugs and I was the epitome of evil. I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief. I would steal from you and then help you look for whatever was stolen! I would fight at the drop of a hat and it did not matter to me who you were. I would fight a man, woman, or even a child. I believe I would have fought a buzz saw if it had crossed my path in some way. I was lazy, useless, and a drain on society. I used mental illness as a cover and spent my days getting loaded. I am not saying that mental illness did not play a role. I have bi-polar disorder and many addicts use to self-medicate. I may have done so as well. I do know that I often used mental illness as an excuse and used it to get my way. I no longer do so. Today I try to be a productive member of society. I hold down two jobs, go to college part time, and write for several websites including this one. Jesus is the one who changed all of it for me. When I was lost He found me and changed me into the person I am today. It was a slow process because I am hard headed and had a long way to come. I made it though and am continuing to grow in Christ. Prompt: "What was the strangest thing you’ve ever seen in public?"I once seen a pink elephant. No, I literally see a pink elephant every time I go down Route 60 in Barboursville WV because there is one standing in the yard of an insurance agency here. It makes a terrific landmark. You simply say "Behind the pink elephant", "south of the pink elephant" or whatever and most people here know what you mean. We also had a bar called the Purple Pig and a place that has a huge green giraffe standing by it! You name your poison we probably have it! |
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