6,587,650

Ok...take a look at that number for a second. Just say it out loud, six million, five hundred eighty seven thousand, six hundred and fifty. What on Earth does it mean you ask?

That my friends, is the number of children who have died from abortion since the start of the Iraq war. Simply staggering. Mind numbing even.

In this age pf politicizing almost each and every thing we do in life, that number somehow has escaped our culture. We hear each and every day about more and more deaths of our soldiers in Iraq and the ever rising death count in this war. Each and every loss of life in a war is tragic, no matter what your opinion of the war is. Every soldier and their family is to be commended and respected for their great sacrifice.

But, just take a look at that number again. That number is all the more staggering when you consider that it has barely been five years since the war began. It equals out to over 1.1 million babies being aborted per year. You can think what you want about abortion and its legalities, but if you can honestly look at that number, actually put with it the fact that each one represents a life lost, it has to sadden you.

I could go on and on about the number and abortion itself, but to me, the number alone...speaks volumes.

More updates on big changes in my life later

~God Bless~
Greg

Been a busy couple of weeks

Hey Everyone! It's been a pretty busy past couple of weeks for me. I am finally starting to recover from it all. Two weekends ago, I went to Atlanta to meet up with a friend of mine. We had a really great time, except for my near death experience at Dave and Buster's lol Let's just put it this way..sometimes when a guy my size is choking, a mere slap or two on the back simply isn't enough. I will spare you the details here, but let me tell ya, it wasn't a pleasant experience. I will say that getting lost in Atlanta, (repeatedly) isn't as bad as it sounds lol We went looking for a church that a friend recommended, but alas, could not find it. And to think, I put on my suit basically for nothing LOL I did introduce her to the most awesome restaurant in the world, Houston's! She loved the steak and ribs, as did her sweet puppy. He got the leftover bones and we saved him a little bite or two of steak. We had a really fun weekend and we are working on plans to get together again for another fun filled weekend.

Then, this past weekend, I went to Athens to see my friend Diane graduate from the University of Georgia. She got her Doctorate in Veterenary Medicine. I guess I have to call her Dr. Diane now. We had a really good time! Let me tell ya, games of Taboo with goofy friends who are going on little to no sleep get pretty interesting. I *CAN* take pride in the fact that the boys beat the girls twice out of three games! George and I rock! :) I also had a total blast with Kyle, Diane's almost two year old son. He is really sweet and just plain adorable. He doesn't like indoor swimming pools though. My neck can attest to that one, as he put me in a death grip when I tried to hand him to his mama who was already in the pool. He loves animals (go figure) and for some strange reason, loved it when I put my hands on my head (like antlers) and talked like Bulwinkle LOL He just laughed and laughed! I also found out he has a fascination with flushing the toilet and now loves the automatic hand dryers that are common in public restrooms. All in all it was a great weekend and I hope to get to see Diane and Kyle again soon.

This week, I am off until Friday. Being new to the home buying market, I have no idea what to really expect. I went by a couple of mortgage financing places to see what price range I can start looking at. First of all, it didn't take nearly as long as I expected to get approved for financing. Pretty fast and simple. My credit score is actually really good, and I have been approved for a lot more than I want to spend. So...now I begin the task of looking for a house in the price range that *I* want to spend. I told the financing company that I want them to hold the letter of credit until I find what I am looking for, and then will have them give me the letter for that amount. I don't want a realtor to take me to a house that is more expensive than I am wanting to spend just because I am approved for that amount. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I start to get down to the nitty gritty of looking.

If you could, please keep a couple of my friends in your thoughts and prayers. One of my employee's (Mustafa) sister passed away this past weekend. She was only 27 years old and a few weeks pregnant. They have no idea what happend. She was drawing bath water for her son and they found her slumped over over. They think that she had a heart attack but for 27, that seems very young. Then Mario, another manager, had an uncle pass away. So people here at FedEx have had a rough time here lately. Please keep these guys and their families in your prayers!

Some more good news that I received yesterday: the friend of mine in New York who has seriously distanced himself from his friends and family finally made contact with his dad the other night. I believe it had been about a year or more since they last spoke with one another. I am very happy that he decided to make contact and re-establish contact with his dad. I know that his dad was very very happy to hear from him and I hope that future contact is made and kept open. Maybe he will end up calling or emailing me like he told his dad that he wanted to. Selfishly, I would love to hear from him, but I am more than satisfied that he made contact with his dad. Very glad to hear that! :)

I hope that all of you are doing well and I hope and pray that you have a very safe Memorial Day coming up. Please be safe and careful as there will be a lot of people out and having fun!

~God Bless~
Greg