I'm Still Here!!!!

Don't give up on me, I'm still here.

I've just been extremely busy the last few days. I feel like I missed Christmas again this year...the funeral home has been busy. Business always picks up around the holidays. Last year at Christmas we had 3 funerals on the same day (day after Christmas). We haven't had 3 in one day this year, but it has been a steady flow.

The weather has been amazing here. For those of you who are not living in the south (Arkansas) let me explain. 70 degrees one day and freezing rain the next. Saturday at the funeral home, we ran the air conditioner. Sunday night the heater was on and today...ICE. Welcome to Arkansas in the Winter.

I had an interesting and unexpected lunch date today. Johnathon, my nephew that was in Iraq stopped by Lenny's where I was having lunch with Dianne. Johnathon seems to be coming back around to his old self. I enjoyed talking to him, it still seems strange for him to be all grown up. A few questions he answered:
Q: When did you say "Hey, I'm not in Arkansas anymore?"
A: In the First sandstorm. I've never seen anything like it.
Q: What kind of wildlife did you see?
A: Jack Rabbits, coyotes, tons of crows
Q: Were you under fire alot?
A: A little. One bomb was close enough to rattle the pictures in our rooms, but nothing to be worried about. A car exploded right before we got there once. There was always a constant gun fire close or in the distance. We were fired at once by the Ugandans...they are our allies...they did not realize who they were shooting at.
Q: Did you ever kill anyone?
A: Never. I never fired my gun. I almost did, but didn't. I was there as an engineer.
Q: What was the land like?
A: Not a lot of asphalt, the base was all chat gravel. We have woods of oak trees, they have woods of Palm trees. I was in the middle of the Tigress and Euphrates Rivers. The Crescent Land. Everything is drying up because Husein built the dam that is keeping the water out.
Dianne: You were in the Garden of Eden.
John: That's right.

He's out looking for a job right now and I'm going to help him with his Resume. He wants to work at the Federal Prison in Forrest City or the Wynne Police Department and I think he was told WPD was not hiring right now... It has to be hard coming home and making adjustments.

I know that jobs are scarce right now. I hope he finds one.