Back to Work...

My first full day "back to work" (following four days of liberty and five half days permitted for the purpose of 'checking back in' from deployment) was a little bit of a switch from my typical day while deployed. There has been a little bit of reorganization taking place at my unit, directed by the command, and the majority of the command was getting their heads back into the game on the same day I was--so it was a little confusing. Another transition happenning simultaneously involves some of our computer systems, and of course office "cubes" are being rebuilt and allocated along with the reorg. However, one thing is still very clear--chain of command. This is really helpful, as even though some things are a little confused, knowing who to go to with each problem that arises is more than half the problem. Putting the 'challenge' in the correct person's inbox, and only expending effort on situations that you know are in your ball park tends to limit stress within the command. Kind of a nice thing about this is that this is going on in the 'rear,' so there is not a lot of 'time is of essence' direction wreaking havoc with the planning process. We can take our time (within reason) to achieve the best working solution for each situation.
Tomorrow I have the honor of meeting with a Girl Scout Troop at Marble Head School who supported me while I was deployed. The members of the troop all sent me letters (with art work attached) wishing me a "Happy Thanksgiving." I was very encouraged by their notes, and look forward to thanking them in person for their support. Thank you, Troop Leader Cindy, for your participation in coordinating this.
I was going to begin training for the Y-Malawi Marathon today, but instead was talked into lunch at Fat Burgers. I'm off to an auspicious start...

Semper Fi, JarHedJon

Running a Marathon???

Can you believe it? Just back from a year in Iraq, and I've been challenged to expend energy in another way--run a marathon in Chicago to raise money for an area development project in Malawi! Sheryl, along with other members of our church, went to Malawi on a short trip which resulted in propelling our church into a partnership with seven other churches to commit to a long-term community building effort through World Vision. Our pastor at San Clemente Presbyterian Church has inspired a few of us to join him in running a marathon to raise support and increase awareness of the work Y-Malawi is doing to restore hope.
You can get involved in this effort by "clicking" on the title above or on the "Y-Malawi Marathon" link on the left. I'd appreciate your prayer and support, as I'm a little dubious about running my first marathon at age 46! Even more than praying for me, though, I hope you'll pray for the Nkhoma area in Malawi, where disease, famine, and other factors have dramatically affected EVERYONE.
Tomorrow is my first day of work after "checking in" from deployment, I'll keep y'all posted as to how things go...

Semper Fi,
Jon G.

Getting Back in the Swing...

Well, I am starting to get back into the swing of things. I have one day left of "checking in" from having been deployed for a year, and Wednesday will be my first full day back at work. I was able to ride my motorcycle to work for the first time today, and it was a LOT of fun... I'd like to thank my friend Dave for his care-taking of the bike while I've been deployed: Dave, you have really done me a tremendous service.
I've sort of left myself the month of March to line up any job options within the military (the requirement is that the jobs are NOT deployable), and depending on the fruitfulness of that search (I'm not holding my breath), April will commence the search for a civilian job in the private sector that will fill the bill. I'll be taking some leave days in the coming months to spend time with Sheryl and Joshua, take care of some needed maintenance jobs associated with our lives (OK, the list of things needing to be done after a year is pretty extensive--though Sheryl has done a remarkable job with everything from taxes to vehicle maintenance while I've been gone), and also be able to spend some GREAT times with the family (maybe a trip to Yosemite, maybe a missions trip during Spring Break...)
It was a great blessing to begin to thank our "Community" for their support of us over the last year through the "Moment for Ministry" at our church, where I was invited to quickly (1 1/2 minutes) share the impact of our church's support (mostly me, I didn't have time to get into the depth and breadth of their support to Sheryl and Joshua as well) over the last year.
Please pray for Joshua, as his teacher's have noted a change in his social interaction and learning style since my return. I will be trying to re-engage with him as much as possible over the next few weeks, but there is only so much I can do to "make up" for a lost year in his life...
A real cool "coincidence" that happenned on Sunday at church: I met the Commanding Officer of the CEB, a unit supported by our church, and he is also a missionary kid from Zambia! I'm looking forward to connecting with him and his family again in the future (he has a son the same age as Joshua and a daughter two years older...).

Semper Fi, JarHedJon

Deployment Ends!

I'm Back! I'll have to find a new title for this blog, as I'm no longer deployed in support of OIF. To tell you the truth, however, finding a new title for my blog is the least of my worries. I'll need to connect with Sheryl and Joshua after being absent from their lives for a year. Anyway, I'll keep y'all posted in how things unfold over the next four months, as I finish out my orders and weigh options for the future. It's great to be back home.

Semper Fi,
JarHedJon