Proverbs 3:23-26

"Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep they foot from being taken"

Dear sandstorm

Dear sandstorm,


I do not like you.
You make my face burn,
You make my hands sweat.
You make my mouth dry.
And you sometimes even make me want to cry.


When your gusts try to crush me with the door as I'm getting into the truck,
I just try to brush it off and blame it on my bad luck.
But then when you whip me in the face with a trash can lid,
I can't help but get angry like a 7 year old kid.


Can you please leave me alone?
Can you bother someone else?
Because quite frankly,
I'm getting sick of all these welts.

Your enemy,

York

Free Cup 'O Joe

The heat here is insane, but it's really not all that bad when I close my eyes and pretend I'm on vacation. We hit the 100 degree mark just the other day, and the sand's so white that you practically can't open your eyes unless you have sunglasses on when you're outside.

I got to work with the airplanes for the past couple of days. I got to unload them, and hang around the flight line for a little bit. I had the chance to meet some pilots. They told me some of their flying experiences, and let me tell you, they're absolutely mind-blowing.

I live in a camper where my room is probably the same size of a closet. I share with one other person. Her name's Sabrina. Our bathroom is located outside the camper, where were only allowed to take 5 minute showers. They call them "battle" showers. The food here is pretty decent. It's no Buffalo chicken wings, but it'll do for now.

I work 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, with only one day off. Saturday is my day to kick back, and relax. Your todays, are my yesterdays, meaning I am 7 hours ahead.

I miss everyone dearly, and wish I were home, but if there's one thing I don't want to do while I'm here is be negative about this whole experience. So because of that, I'm learning daily how to pick out the little positive things about this place. For instance, every morning I have some stranger from around the world donate a "cup o' joe" from this website: http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/index.php to the Green Beans Coffee Shop (trailer) that happens to be right next to where I work. For that, I'm thankful.

All in all, God is good, and I am very blessed.

Yours truly,
York

Home is where the heart is

Next week I will be flying to a destination that I didn’t even know existed until a couple of months ago. Some say it’s nice, others disagree, but I say it’s whatever you make it out to be.

These days, more often than not, I find myself getting emotional when I hear the national anthem play before a baseball game starts, or when a Veteran thanks me for my service when God only knows how much he or she has seen and been through, but more recently, when I’m ordered to wear my dog tags at all times.

My nation is in a time of need, and I can truly say that I feel honored to be able to defend a country where freedom and liberty greatly abounds. Like FDR once said, “In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved”.

As I continue to blog throughout my time spent in the desert, I want to encourage you to notice life and all the beauty that’s in it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Take life one day at a time, and love every second. Do thoughtful things, and take spontaneous trips. Love with everything you have, and don’t be scared. Know how to truly receive God’s forgiveness when you make mistakes. Cherish your friendships. Never hold grudges, just move beyond them. Learn what your passion is, and write it down and figure out how you’re going to get there. Practice integrity. Don't worry about the things that don't come naturally, if it's meant to be, it will happen. Work very, very hard, but don’t forget to splurge on yourself because that’s why you work. And lastly, please don’t ever take your freedom for granted.

Buffalo, NY - you will ALWAYS hold my heart.

Yours truly,

York