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