It was 10 years ago today when I lost my Pepa. I didn't even realize this fact until my sister reminded me of it tonight. Wow. In some ways it's incredible that it's been that long, but in other ways, it feels like it's been a lot longer than that. I hate to say it, but he was the grandparent that was extra special. I love all of my grandparents, but Pepa and I were extremely close...and it didn't take long to realize that.

Pepa served as an elder at our congregation for 11 years, I believe, and at the end of every service he would go to the back of the auditorium to say hello to everyone. And at the end of every service, I would go to the back of the auditorium with him. I loved it when I would get to go over to Pepa and Mema's and stay the night. We never did much, we didn't have to. We just enjoyed being around each other.

The summer before Pepa passed, he, my dad, brother and I all took a trip to Texas. Burkeville, Texas that is. Pepa's ol' stomping grounds. You want to talk about out in the sticks, Burkeville is it. It's pretty much a ghost town these days, but it meant a lot for all of us to be down there together, three generations of Gunter men. I'm thankful we had the opportunity to do that together.

While Pepa had a big heart, he had a very weak heart. With all of the good memories I have of Pepa, I also have memories of spending days in the hospital waiting room, waiting to hear what was happening with Pepa. We'd get to go back to his hospital room and say hi, and then he'd eventually get to come home. That wasn't the case in February of 2000. Pepa collapsed to the floor while sitting at the kitchen table, and he never woke up.

Ten years later, and I have to admit, there are days when I don't think about him. I hope that doesn't make me a bad grandson. I think it's a sign that I've been able to move on. I know in my own heart, there is no way that I'll ever forget Pepa. He will always hold a special place in my heart.

I love you and I miss you like crazy, Pepa.

JMG

2009 is coming to a close, my friends, whether we like it or not. So what did I learn this year? Let's break it down here:

1. Just because you get your college degree, it doesn't mean you're guaranteed a "real job."
2. KY is way more easy-going than KC. Sorry KC, it's true.
3. Having parents that let you move back in after college is a blessing.
4. Moving back in with your parents and 16 year old sister is a challenge, but still a blessing.
5. I'm on the pudgy side. Can anyone say, "New Year's resolution?"
6. I've got a lot of room to improve in my spiritual life this coming year.
7. Student loans are scaring me to death.
8. I'll be 25 in less than a month, and that's weird to me.
9. Life is hard.
10. The Lord has blessed me richly, although I deserve nothing but His wrath.

Random list, I know, but these are all things that cross my mind quite frequently. Just as years past, I look at 2009 with a sense of some pride, but more-so, disappointment. I have pride in the fact that I finally graduated from college, among other smaller accomplishments. But unfortunately, I'm disappointed that I wasn't the best that I could have been, and I know that I could have tried much harder. I look at the New Year as many do, a chance to wipe the slate clean and start all over. But the sad thing is, we should never wait that long. If we know we need to fix something, if we know we could be better, we need to make the best effort then and there. If we go at things half-heartedly, how affective will we be? Not very, and I speak from experience.

So, in 2010, I desire to be whole-heartedly committed to every change I strive to make. Half-hearted is not good enough. Thanks to my dad, I'm reminded of Ecclesiastes 9:10 when I think of effort. It reads, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going." We have to make the effort now, because once we have breathed our last, there's nothing more we can do.

Let me end this entry with a thought/question for you and me to ponder: With each breath we take, we are one breath closer to death. This is a given. But with each breath we take, are we one breath closer to eternity with our Savior and King? I hope you and I can both emphatically say "Yes!" I hope we can praise the Lord together with confidence in saying so, and that we can truly say we have the "peace that passes understanding."

This is my wish for you and for me in 2010, and for the rest of our days on this earth.

Happy New Year and Love to all,
JMG

Well, hi there. Hope everything is good in your neck of the woods. So, once again, it's been quite some time since I've given Pleo-nation...and the 5 people that may still read this...an update. At any rate, here are a few things to update you on:

1. I'm still working at Starbucks. :\
2. My ol' HP laptop FINALLY died. :)
3. I bought a new Toshiba laptop today. :)
4. Still struggling to find a career. :(
5. May have found a good place to intern and get started. :)
6. I've gotten to be really active with my old congregation I grew up in. :)
7. I miss Bowling Green a WHOLE LOT. :(
8. I miss West End a WHOLE LOT. :(
9. I miss my dear friends a WHOLE WHOLE LOT. :(
10. I'm thankful for being able to live at home and be with family during this transition time. :)

So, there's 10 things that I could think of off the top of my noggin. While I'm growing tired of working at Starbucks each passing day, I'm thankful that I do have a job and am able to start paying off some debt...as little as it may be. The ol' HP laptop kicked the bucket, after six years of service, and I'm glad to be getting a new one. The bad thing is that I didn't have my files backed up...I know...I'm a smart feller. However, my brother is a computer wizard, so hopefully he'll be able to recover some files.

The career search has been a challenge, which I know isn't a surprise in these times. However, it's hard to keep the right perspective on it all. While I haven't had much luck in the career search, I may have something as far as an internship goes. You know what's the sad thing? While I've bee back in the KC area, this week...four months later...is the first time I've seriously sought out an internship. One day after I "hit the pavement," I received a phone call from one of the agencies I applied for. They're checking over my references and we'll probably be chatting later. Feel free to pray!

In the four months that I've been back home, I've been able to lead singing A LOT, I've gotten to preach a sermon and give two invitations, and I'm now the Newsletter Editor/Author. While I'm thankful that I've been able to be so involved, I still miss West End very much. I left so many special people there. In the same breath, I miss Bowling Green a lot. I miss the city and everything about it a lot more than I thought I would. I need to come back for a visit. I just don't know exactly when that will be. And I can't miss Bowling Green and West End without missing my dear friends. They are what I miss the most. I would give almost anything to have them around...so if you're reading this...know that you're missed.

So, while I miss a whole lot of things that I've left behind in Bowling Green, I am certainly thankful to be able to be at home during this transition time in my life. I never imagined post-graduation to be this way, but I'm thankful my parents are the gracious people they are, letting me move back home while I get my feet under me. I know that there are more challenges ahead, but I know that with the Lord's help and with the family and friends that I have, I'll be just fine.

Speaking of which, I apologize to anyone that I have neglected to keep in contact with. I've been pretty bad about staying in touch, hopefully I can remedy that soon. Until then, I hope everyone is doing well.

God Bless,
JMG

Nearly four months since my last post on here, and so much has changed in my life: 1. I'm a college graduate (YAY!) and 2. I'm moving back to Missouri. OK, so maybe that's only two changes, but they're very big ones.

I just wanted to take a few moments to discuss the move and reminisce just a bit about the SIX years of college I've experienced. I'll be packing up my precious cargo and heading back to Smithville, MO (Kansas City area, for those unfamiliar of the booming town of Smithvile) on Friday morning. While I'm very excited for the great opportunities that are possibly awaiting me in Kansas City, I'm also kinda sad to be leaving Bowling Green.

Bowling Green is a nice town, but it's not so much the town I'll miss, it's the people. Many of the friends I'll be leaving here in Bowling Green were friends that I originally made down at Florida College five or six years ago. WOW. So many great memories have been made, and I can't imagine my college years without those special people. It's hard to leave them here...even though 90% of them are married! I wish you all the best.

I'm also grateful to all the wonderful people I've gotten to know at West End church. What a great group of Christians, lead by great elders. I'll miss Todd and Lowell as preachers as well, they are great at what they do. If you ever move to Bowling Green or even just visit, go to West End, it's a great congregation.

In my time in Bowling Green, I've also been a partner at Starbucks for over three years. I've been able to know so many people from my time there, both co-workers and customers. It's been a great job to have throughout college, and I've had so much fun.

I've often thought of the way things have played out in my life, and I find it quite interesting. I would've never thought that I would end up in Bowling Green, Kentucky going to college. And while I've had some low points since I've been here, I've had some very high points too. It's been a great experience, and there are so many people that have contributed to it. To all my former BG roommates: Nic, David, Cram, Keith, Matt, and Jon (my almost former roommate), thanks for putting up with me and thanks for all the good times we've had. What a blessing to have been able to live with Christian guys the entire time I've been in college.

Well, as they say, "On to bigger and better things." Hopefully this will be true for me, but with the Lord's blessings, I'll be content with whatever He provides me. Thank you all so much for your love and support throughout these college years. I couldn't have done it without you.

God Bless,
Jerid

P.S. Please keep Katie and Evan Wolfe's family in your prayers. Their father was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq earlier this week. They need all of the love and support they can possibly receive throughout this difficult time. Thank you all.

There are many times in our lives when we question why things are the way they are, or at least I know that I do. Questioning why we have to deal with some of the things we have to deal with, why we have to do certain things we don't want to do, etc. It's certainly natural, but it can also get to the point of being down right selfish. I've been there, countless times. I get to the point where I need that "swift kick in the pants" to get me back down to reality and to realize that it's life, and other people have it far worse than I. It's certainly easy to forget how blessed we truly are.

So what does it for you? What in this life gets you to "snap out of it" and get back on track with your line of thinking? Mine is rather simple, and I kind of wish it would happen more often...in some regards, because I snap back into selfish mode so quickly. All I have to do, is see someone who has some sort of visible disability. Doesn't matter what kind, just something that is noticeable to others, and it hits me like a ton of bricks. Then it proceeds to make me feel small, especially if that person seems to be of good spirits,which often times they are.

I say all of this to say, if there are people living in this world that have physical setbacks who can be happy and content, why can't we? Sure, financial concerns and questions arise and are stressful, as well as other things. But let's not forget to look at the big picture here: most of us are in good health, of sound mind, many of us employed, have great families, many friends, and many more blessings. I know I can say all of those things, and still I find a way to complain and be selfish. Ridiculous.

When it all comes down to it, with all of the problems that we may face in our day to day lives, we must remember that we don't have total control. God does. That should be of great comfort to us, but again, we often forget. Remember when Christ told His disciples to be like children? We are to be that way, completely trusting and light-hearted.

Just like always, this little blurb is probably more beneficial to me, just typing it out and reading it for myself than probably any of you. But I hope that you find it helpful to you as well. I hope that everyone is doing well and that everyone is happy and healthy. Much love to you all.

-Jerid