Monday, June 1, 2009

A Time to Reflect


This post is a running story with a "twist". The couple in the photo are Jorge-Luis and Aileen. Aileen is a member of our marathon running group. Jorge-Luis is our "Fan #1", who has been a spectator and cheerleader at several of our races. We hope to "persuade" him to run a half marathon in the future.

This month Aileen will start the summer session of our training program, while Jorge-Luis will be deployed to Iraq for a second tour of duty. We had a going away party for him on Saturday evening. We had a great turnout of friends, good food and a few liquid refreshments.

Raymond started the party off with a prayer and blessing. The mood of the evening was jovial , although each of us knew why we were there. We may be runners, but the strongest bond is that we are "family". We come together when times are good and assemble when the unfortunate realities of life pay us a visit. We will have another party for Jorge-Luis and Aileen, that will be to celebrate his safe return from Iraq.

For all who read this post, please say a prayer for Jorge-Luis' safety. Remember and pray for Aileen who will need support during their separation. God Bless them both. God Bless all of our military personnel who are serving our country.

God Bless America!

4 comments:

Jade Lady said...

Will be thinking of Jorge-Luis, and hope he will return safely.

ShirleyPerly said...

Yes, I hope his second tour goes safely. Wonderful that your group is like a family too. I'm sure that will help Aileen immensely when he's gone.

Donna N. said...

This is a great post and brought tears to my eyes. God Bless you Jorge-Luis and thank you from the very bottom of my heart for your service.

CewTwo said...

Work on Jorge! Influence him to join in on the fun!