Disclaimer It s a rare condition this day and age to read and good news on a newspaper
page.(my wife s tablet makes me feel like fred flintstone reading that slab days gone bye
I digress.. I remember when I was growing up and one of my favorite cartoons I use to read
in the newspaper was Beatle Bailey. He was the army s version of Gomer Pyle ..

His sergant S.F.C Snorkel aways had complaints about the food they were being served.
Reminded me of my first few years in the army that I got a chance to see first hand how
food is prepared for the troops. When I change jobs and had to go to a new school ,it
was down in Virginia and located on the same base as the school for the cooks.

One day as i was eating lunch, I spoke to one of the cooks who was also eating lunch.
He was explaining to me how they had to eat the same food they prepared for everyone else.
A joke that went around was better not let one of the old sgt majors hear you call the dining
facility a mess hall ( by the way they still do and call the head sgt the mess sgt

This also reminds me of a old episode of The Cosby Show when one of his younger daughters
got secretly married( we us to say elope) and presented her now new husband over dinner.
The analogy that the father used to describe the way the new husband was presented to him
was a steak dinner being served on a dirty garbage can top. I remember reading in the bible
how Paul talks about presenting yourself and Jesus in Luke 11 talking about a cup being clean
on the outside and not the inside. Last time I ate in a U.S Army Dining Facility, the food was
sight to see as the old saying goes Everything looked and smelled great. They even have
events to see who are the top chefs in the entire army world wide.

So as I gotten older(no I still dont wear suspenders yet lol) the inside of me being my heart and
mind has grown and changed(even though i ve gotten back down to a size 40 pants) in 2 weeks
I along with my wife will be renewing our wedding vows and it would of never been possible
if I not only made a commitment to a different lifestyle of living a life based on character
and connection to others.Thank God for second chances and not three strikes ..
May everyone who read this be greatly encouraged.

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