Category Archives: Uncategorized

When your Son goes to War.

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My older brother and I went to war, but I never thought about what our parents felt. When my son’s unit was called to war, Iraqi Freedom, my wife and I joined the Family Support Group for his company. My son didn’t know anything about war. Their training was intense for the type of combat they would experience. The US military trains troops to be able to fight a war. But the impact of war can only experienced first hand. All the troops were 18 to 30 years old and none had ever experienced the string of battle. Their bravado was strong, but I saw the fear of the unknown in their faces. You can’t teach how you will react in the middle of battle. All you can do is train and let muscle memory take over in combat.

While our son was deployed, my wife and I stayed busy with supporting troops with care packages of food and any other needs. We live in southwest Louisiana. The number one request for food items was Tony Chachere seasoning in the individual packets. The second request was Community Coffee, dark roast. We sent individual packages for each birthday in the company. We stayed busy because it was a shooting war. Out of the 150 members of the company, 36 were killed in Iraq and there were more wounded. While he was there, we were able to live video link with our son on Facebook. When I saw him, he had lost weight and had a serious look to him. He came home on his two week vacation during 4th of July. We went to the park to see the fireworks and every time an overhead bomb went off, he would jump. It was the ravages of war.

Before he was deployed, we had a serious discussion about death. Not only were we concerned for his safety, but that he would be seeing death up close and personal. My wife and I had to place him in the hands of God for his safety and our own sanity. While he was there, his best friend was killed. That morning his captain allowed him to call home. I answered and the first thing I asked was are you wounded. He said no, it is worst. He couldn’t tell me over the phone, but I figured it out. He took it hard and began to feel guilty for surviving. The effects of war are not only on the soldier, but on his family. It took a while for our son to transition from combat to regular life. The effects of war.

We survived and he came home. 2 more sons served in the military, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. It has been 20 years since they served and we are still feeling the effects of the war, but thank God not as much. I was watching soldier’s family reunions on Youtube and it all came flooding back.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Death of a Loved One.

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8 years ago my younger brother was dying of lung cancer. He discovered he had cancer in January and died in July. When I found out, I was at his side every evening. The cancer treatment was ruff on him. The cancer had caused his bones to weaken. Both of his femur bones, his legs, were broken. The doctors had to do surgery on his legs before they could start the chemo treatments. After the surgery, the doctors wanted him out of bed and walking. Everyday the nurses walked him through the cancer ward which was one whole floor of the hospital. What my brother saw was that most cancer patients were alone and had no flowers in their room. He looked at all the flowers in his room and told the nurses to bring his flowers to their rooms. Then he got his sons to start a memorial golf tournament to raise money to put flowers in the rooms of cancer patients. He did this while dying of cancer himself. It is called the Bill Blanchard Memorial Golf tournament and it is held every two years in Lafayette, La. The last tournament raised $10,000.

I was with Bill until he died. We had many a discussion about life and death. Also we discussed God and Jesus. But about a week before he died, he was at home. We were talking and he asked me if it hurts to die. I looked at him and began to explain what the word of God says about death. It is the most feared thing in this life. People are afraid of death because they don’t know Jesus. But to anyone that is a believer, there is no fear. But the bible does say that believers will close their eyes in peace, in death, and open them in the arms of God. I told brother that death is just a doorway to the other side of life. The pain is in this side of life because of our flesh. You see our flesh is made of the dust of the earth and is cursed by God himself. God cursed the earth in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned against God.

Bill was at home with his family around him, when he closed his eyes and opened them in heaven. Death is not something to fear. It is our way home. This life we have on earth is just temporary. Home is heaven. And when we cross over that barrier, we wont feel any more pain. We will feel the joy and love of God to the fullness. He has been gone for 8 years and I still miss him. And sometimes I wish I was already there, home.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The 4th of July.

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As an American, I celebrated the founding of our country. I marvel at the efforts put for by our founding fathers to create this nation. Our nation is not so different than many others that were founded throughout the ages. Mankind has not changed since the beginning of time. Technology has come a long way, but who we are has not. We live longer because of discoveries, but people are people. All you have to do is to read the history of anybody throughout the ages. And the pattern of who we are will emerge.

The first thing that comes to mind is family. It is the very first institution ever invented, both in mankind and animals. Then there is work to feed yourself and your family, then there is shelter and last but not least is clothing. Our basic needs have never changed. There is an old saying that is true, history repeats itself. Since the beginning, how many times has fathers worried about caring for their family? How many times have mothers been concerned about their families safety?

My son was being deployed to Iraq several years ago. As our family gather with others to see their sons and daughters off to war, I started watching people. Some were laughing, some were crying, some soldiers held their children as I wondered how many times has this gathering occur since this country was founded. As I was watching all the people, a song kept playing in my head. The song was “Johnny has gone for a soldier”. It is a song from the American Revolution.

We may all speak differently, have different origins, believe in different religions and are culturally different. But as a people we are the same. We all have the same desires for family, freedom, being able to provide and protect our families. So, I celebrate this 4th of July by remembering who we are and what was started in this country 400 years.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Time and Belief.

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I have talked about time before. Time is a construct for us to measure seconds, minutes, hours, days and years. Time itself is finite, as we are. Each of us has been given a set amount of time. What we do with that time is strictly up to us. There is no cheating time and we can’t slow time down. All we can do with is speed it up. We have seen people live like there is no tomorrow. And their life proved the point. Our time is directly correlated to how we live our lives. If we live carefully, we can live a long life. We have all seen people burn out die. So time is consistent and methodical.

The one thing that mankind has is a free will. This free will gives us the choice in everything we do. It doesn’t matter what we get into. We choose that. Having free will isn’t always a blessing. Without understand, free will can become a curse. And we have all experienced that dilemma. So what makes the difference​?

Knowledge + Experience = wisdom or understanding. We find out about something, lets say chocolate candy, and we taste the chocolate. I don’t know about you, unless you are allergic to chocolate, I eat chocolate as often as I can. I know chocolate taste good, but it isn’t always good for you. There are people who are addicted to chocolate. So with the understanding of our limitations, we can enjoy the benefits of chocolate.

This brings us to belief. Belief is the wisdom or understanding that knowledge and experience give us. We don’t pursue things that we don’t believe in. When we want something, we pursue or are given the knowledge about that goal. Then we experience that goal and prove the point that we want that. Once we prove the point, we believe in that. Before we even try to obtain a goal, we must believe that it is obtainable. So here is my question. What do you believe in and is it worth the effort?

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Blast from the Past, An Observation.

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That Idiom refers to a song from the past. But a song doesn’t mean that it has to be music. I have been recently listening to the music of the 1960’s and 70’s. Some I like and some still turn me off. When I was in high school, I collected all the top songs of the day. Back then they were 45rpm singles with one song on it. I had a hard case to carry the 45 singles around. When I would go to parties, I would bring the case with me to listen to music. If you wanted, you could buy the whole album to listen to. Radio stations would play the music and we would listen and dance. The DJ’s of today came from people playing music back then.

People listen to songs from every different genre. I even like classical music. But the song I am referring to isn’t the music that you hear with your ears. The song I am referring to is the one that you hear with your heart. Everyone grows up wanting to become something. As a kid, we wanted to be firemen or soldiers. Some wanted to doctors or lawyers. But no matter the path we took, we all heard the song that call us to a particular path. That particular song was strong enough in us to motivate us to become whoever.

I have observed that the song in our heart never goes away. It became strong enough in us to choose a path that produce a lifetime of melodies. All along the way in life, people heard our song. Some people agree with our song and some didn’t. But no matter what direction that we took in life, it was our song. The strange thing about that song is that we hear is as strong as it was in the beginning. The blast from the past is our life, our song and our melody. This is just an observation that refers to family, friends, school or work that we orchestrated in our life.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

An Observation.

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The Jewish people are governed religiously by 613 laws written in the Torah or the first 5 books of the bible. In Numbers ch.19, the law talks about red heifers. The priests who are responsible for the blood sacrifices in the Temple have to be purified by the sprinkling of the ashes of the red heifer. They can’t perform this ritual unless they have been purified. The red heifer has to be perfect with no blemishes is offered in sacrifice. Then the ashes are gathered for use in the Temple. Temple sacrifice has not been done since the Romans captured Jerusalem in 70AD. There is only one place that these sacrifices can take place, the Temple mount in Jerusalem. This means the Dome of the Rock mosque has to go.

The Muslims of the Middle East have said that if Israel takes the Dome of the Rock mosque, there will be total war. The government of Israel isn’t weak. They are as much a power house as any Western nation. Israel is supported mostly by the United States. Their military is as good or better than the United States. Though the Israeli Defense Force isn’t as large as the US, they have proven themselves in battle throughout there recent history. When the Israeli Rabbinate declared they found 5 red heifers in the United States, in September, 2022, it set in motion plans to stop them from being back Temple sacrifices. The more radical Muslim organizations put their plans into motion in October, 2023.

Groups in Gaza raided Israel and took captive hostages and killed more. Israel retaliated destroying most cities and now controls all of Gaza. The Palestinian people are now refugees. Then groups in Lebanon supported by Iran attacked in 2024. Israeli forces destroyed them. Israel knowing that Iran had sponsored them and has nuclear capabilities, decided to attack Iran. The IDF attacked Iran and destroyed military targets and Iran’s nuclear power plants and production facilities. Israeli attacks are on going.

So what is this all about? It is about 2 brothers fighting over their shared inheritance, Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, the sons of Abraham. And it will not stop until God intervenes.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1627@Juno.com

Joseph1637.com

To Life and Perspective

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This happened about 10 years ago. A young friend of mine married for the first time. The father of the bride asked his daughter what she wanted to do. He was going to give her a set amount of money and she could spend like she wanted. She and her Fiance and Parents sat down and planned a modest wedding, by some accounts. She didn’t want an ostentatious wedding. She was going to have a nice wedding and keep some of the money for their future. She didn’t spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress, but it was beautiful. The groom wore a suit and looked handsome.

Her mother fell off a ladder the Monday before the wedding and broke her foot and took 7 stitches in her head. She said she was going to the wedding come hell or high water. She look good and her sons helped her to her place in church. They have 6 six kids, 4 girls and 2 boys. The wedding was lovely. It wasn’t over the top. The daughter used her money wisely and planned everything. Even the 86 year old grandmother looked good. Grandma was going to her granddaughter’s wedding to celebrate life. She got up and danced several times. She had to be assisted to the dance floor by 2 men. But she was going to dance at her granddaughter’s wedding. The mother with the broken foot hardly left the dance floor. The dad talked to everyone and danced with his wife and everyone that asked him. The food was good and party was fun. They all came to celebrate life itself. Everyone had a smile on their face. They didn’t throw rice when the couple left which is traditional. They blew bubbles. In all it was a really sweet time for the family and all the guest. This is about what God gives to us on this earth. Life is hard enough as it is, but God wants to enjoy and celebrate our lives. As it says in the bible: Ecclesiastes 8:15 “Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.”

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Beauty in Everything.

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It seems that beauty is an obsession with humanity. The beautiful people are believed to be the smartest or richest of all. People seem to flock to them to be seen. So why aren’t the ordinary people seen the same way. Everyone has a heart, both physical and spiritual. That heart craves one thing to be accepted, not to be lonely. We are social beings and don’t want live along. There is an old saying, beauty is skin deep, but ugly is to the bone. There are people who are ordinary looking. They don’t have the standard of beauty that people are judged by. But there beauty is overwhelming if you look for it. There is a line from and old song by Ray Stevens that says, everything is beautiful in it’s own way. I believe this is true. It is what I look for in each person I meet.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is as individual as we are. It has always been up to our perception of things. Yet there are things that are universally beautiful. For instances, a rose is a rose, is a rose, by any other name. The shape, the fragrance is unmistakable, a perfect symbol of love and beauty. And then who would call an aardvark beautiful, except for a few naturalists. Yet it is beautiful. Or what would you say to a jackass or a hairless Chihuahua? They are perfect in their own way. When God made people and things on the earth, He made them individual and beautiful. Even a wild rose in the middle of a trash pile is beautiful. So why can’t we see the beauty in people who are different? People or things that are different are usually shunned. If it is terribly different, we turn our backs to it and don’t even recognize it exists. I have said before that I like to open doors or smile at people. I look for the heart of a person, not the outward exterior. You would be surprised at the tenderness of people’s heart when you express yourself. I have had very few people not respond to my acts of kindness. God said we are like a fountain of water. As it pours out of us, how can sweet and sour water flow out of our hearts? Bitter water spoils the sweet water. Yet if you listen to people you can hear the bitter. That is why an act of kindness is always appreciated by most people. And even the hardest of hearts will crack with a kind word. So look for the beauty in this world and you will be surprised at what you will find. I wish for all of you a good day, especially if it is storming outside. For this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Onomatopoeia.

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Shall I use the powerful P’s to describe the tingling sensation of properly placed words in a blog? Since I have already written an article about the P’s, I will use some new tantalizing words to describe my writing. Can’t you hear the sizzling new words hot off the griddle? I have been told and believe to this fragrant day that words are food for the soul. You can entice people to delicious meal with words. Or starve them off with same words. It is on how you present your message. They can pop with excitement or fade into a funk. I have written articles that smell so bad you would think someone passed some gas. I destroyed those articles as quickly and unceremoniously as I vaporized them for the good of humanity. Maybe it is time for the powerful P’s. As I ponder my prodigious predicament, I re-evaluated my writing style and came to a conclusion. I will put forth a preposterous statement of prodigious proportion. Ow, I feel good. Today is a most ponderously beautiful day. As one of my beloved sons was in college, it behooved me to tell him how he can write beautiful essay. I told him to write as you speak. The glamorization of the grammar can come after he writes the article. You can express your inner self easier as evaluating someone concocted or contrived story. When I say who are you that is the person you know best. So learning how to relate yourself to this relatively refined world will take some time. But if you apply yourself to the process, it will produce applicable results. And the results will go pop, pop and fizz, fizz. And you will be relieved with the results. Onomatopoeia.

Crain Blanchard.
http://www.joseph1637.com
joseph1637@juno.com

Soliloquy

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I don’t always know what I am going to do. I think to myself I do this or that. What is the best way to write a blog? What if people don’t like what I write? It is like Hamlet said, “To be or not to be, that is the question. Am I going to write about myself or do I choose another topic? I have always heard people say, publish or perish. I guess it is true. If I am not out there, no one can read it. But I don’t want to put anything stupid on the page. I want to make my work make sense. I can remember as a younger man, people looking at me side-ways because I didn’t make sense. What I said or wrote was disconnected from people in the world. It may have had to do with the dyslexia I had. It took a long time to work it out in me. I know that is why I went to college and studied communication. All through life I have had many experiences that has led me to writing. I started writing in college. I took an English course on the meaning of words. We broke the word apart and saw its meaning and where it came from. Also I took a business course on letter writing. To be able to convince people to purchase anything. Learning vocabulary and how to use the words effectively was the end result. I am a word meister of as they say in the vulgar or common language. I like the 50 cent words but don’t always have room for them. I have always tried to be concise with my blog. Information doesn’t have to be wordy. Look what Lincoln did at the Gettysburg address. He say in 267 words what the orator said in 2 hours. So I think about what I am going to say. Then I write it down so it makes sense and hope that it relates to people in this world. I am not Shakespeare, but this is a soliloquy.

Crain Blanchard.
http://www.joseph1637.com
joseph1637@juno.com