Freedom Is Expensive!

The death of a second Patrick County soldier in Iraq last week serves as a poignant reminder that the freedoms that we as Americans enjoy (and all too often take for granted) are not free at all. In deed, freedom is very expensive. The liberties with which we are blessed in these great United States of America come with a great price tag...a debt that has been paid by courageous American soldiers like First Lieutenant Leevi Khole Barnard of Ararat and earlier Patrick County's Jonathan Bowling who both gave their lives in service to our country in war-torn Iraq. It is the memory of these and other fallen American heroes that we honored during the Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 25th. Memorial Day formerly was observed on May 30th and VFW groups advocate a return to that date. That's why Patrick County's Memorial Day service has been scheduled for this Saturday, May 30th. This solemn ceremony will be held at Patrick Memorial Gardens at 1 p.m. Saturday and conducted by the Patrick County Veterans' Memorial Honor Guard. The program will include patriotic music and the National Anthem by Johnny Joyce with the raising of the flag by the Honor Guard, the placing of a wreath and POW/MIA symbol by the Combined Ladies Auxiliary, tributes to the military branches by the Patrick County High School JROTC, a speech by Sgt. Jason Rortvedt, a memorial reading titled the "Meaning of 13 Folds" by Scott Sanborn, and a reading of the poem "Freedom Is Not Free" by Sanborn. We owe a great debt to the veterans of our country...especially those who have given their lives to defend our land and the principles that we value. So let's take time out from our busy schedules on Saturday, May 30th, to remember and to honor the memory of those patriotic and courageous American men and women who, since our country's founding, have paid the high price for our freedoms and given us the priviledge of living in "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Please keep the family of First Lt. Barnard in your prayers and honor his memory with your presence at Saturday's Memorial Day ceremony. God bless America!
Richard

Freedom is Expensive

The death of a second Patrick County soldier in Iraq last week serves as a poignant reminder that the freedsoms that we as Americans enjoy (and all too often take for granted) are not free at all. In deed, freedom is very expensive. The liberties with which we are blessed in these great United States of America come with a great price tag...a debt that has been paid by courageous American soldiers like First Lieutenant Leevi Khole Barnard of Ararat and earlier Patrick County's Jonathan Bowling who both gave their lives in service to our country in war-torn Iraq.

It is the memory of these and other fallen American heroes that we honored during the Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 25th. Memorial Day formerly was observed on May 30th and VFW groups advocate a return to that date. That's why Patrick County's Memorial Day service has been scheduled for this Saturday, May 30th. This solemn ceremony will be held at Patrick Memorial Gardens at 1 p.m. Saturday and conducted by the Patrick County Veterans' Memorial Honor Guard. The program will include patriotic music and the National Anthem by Johnny Joyce with the raising of the flag by the Honor Guard, the placing of a wreath and POW/MIA symbol by the Combined Ladies Auxiliary, tributes to the military branches by the Patrick County High School JROTC, a speech by Sgt. Jason Rortvedt, a memorial reading titled the "Meaning of 13 Folds" by Scott Sanborn, and a reading of the poem "Freedom Is Not Free" by Sanborn.

We owe a great debt to the veterans of our country...especially those who have given their lives to defend our land and the principles that we value. So let's take time out from our busy schedules on Saturday, May 30th, to remember and to honor the memory of those patriotic and courageous American men and women who, since our country's founding, have paid the high price for our freedoms and given us the priviledge of living in "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Please keep the family of First Lt. Barnard in your prayers and honor his memory with your presence at Saturday's Memorial Day ceremony. God bless America!

Richard

The Buttermilk Boy

I hate buttermilk but I was happy to have the opportunity to drink some more Friday evening, May 15th when we finally exceeded out goal at the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Radio-thon, "Twelve Hours for a Cure III", on WHEO Radio, 1270 AM, Stuart, VA. The buttermilk thing has become a tradition associated with this annual event that is now three years old. Yuuuucccckkkk! But Yeeaaaahhhhhh! We did it again! Thanks to the generosity and caring of Patrick County citizens and our neighbors we raised $10,500 (topping the $10,000 goal) during the radio-thon. How blessed we were to raise that kind of money in a county that has been devastated by job losses and economic hardship even before the recession went national. It was a wonderful day of fellowship, fun, food, and live entertainment provided by more than 50 of the finest most caring singers and musicians in the world who make their home right here in our community. To the many people of our community who came together for this cause...to the talented singers and musicians who gave of their talents...to the wonderful citizens who attended the WHEO open house to show their support for our cause...to the army of volunteers who worked tirelessly througout the day to make the radio-thon successful...to all those who listened faithfully throughout the day....and, most of all, to God who blessed us and communed with us all day long, this "buttermilk boy" would like to sincerely thank you all! As a result of our efforts, I honestly believe we have moved a step closer to a cancer-free tomorrow.

P.S. Please continue to keep my dear friend ~Shannon Stowe and her family in your prayers. :O) During the day of the radio-thon, Shannon underwent surgery in Winston-Salem, NC, to remove an early stage one melanoma and was able to return to Stuart and to enjoy the last few hours of the radio-thon with her family and all of us at the radio-station. Let's all pray that Shannon will get a cancer-FREE post surgery report from her doctor on Wednesday. God bless Shannon and all the others who have faced this disease in all its many forms courageously, optimistically, and victoriously!

Thanks and God bless you all.

All my love :O),
Richard

Twelve Hours for a Cure!

This Friday, May 15th, WHEO Radio is putting regular business aside in order to devote our full attention to a great cause. We are asking the people of Patrick County to join us in the fight against cancer on this day. "Twelve Hours for a Cure III"...the WHEO Radio-thon for the benefit of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life...will air from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. Local volunteers will assist the WHEO staff in conducting the radio-thon. Telephone operators will be on duty throughout the day taking your tax-decuctible contributions. The telephone numbers are (276) 694-3114, 694-3115, 694-3388, 694-2138, 692-4263, 692-4264, 692-4265, and 692-4266.

The 3rd annual Relay for Life Radio-thon will feature live entertainment by more than 50 of the area's finest singers and musicians...on air interviews with cancer survivors and caregivers...and appearances by regional and local American Cancer Society officials and volunteers.

Please come and join us throughout the day at your convenience. In conjunction with the radio-thon, WHEO will hold open house all day. Stop by and enjoy free food, drinks, desserts, great live entertainment, and plenty of down home fellowship. The entertainment line-up will include Vernon Harris, Denny Archer, Jackie Belcher, Jim Shelor, Sue Nester, the CeltHix, Debbie Bennett, One Accord, the Glory Road Singers, Bill Banks, Cecil Hall and the Dominion Bluegrass Boys, Tommy Nichols, Michael Ray Fain, Barry Collins, Jason Harris, the Downtown Boys, Tina, Herbert, and Katherine Conner, the Over the Hill Gang, Cornerstone Grass, and others.

"Twelve Hours for a Cure III" is being presented by the WHEO Relay for Life team, the Kilowatts for a Cure in memory of my late wife Sandra Merritt Rogers, who died of cancer two years ago. Thanks to the musicians, volunteers, and these and other contributors: Honduras Coffee Company, Stuart Communications, On the Run, Foley's Autoville, Little Caesars, Moody Funeral Home, and Community Funeral Home. Thanks most of all to the many caring Patrick Countians who are supporting our efforts to fight cancer with their time, talents, and prayers. On this day our community comes together united in our efforts to realize our dream of a cancer-free tomorrow. Please pray that God will bless these efforts richly. Thank you so much.

Richard

A Mother's Love

Exceeded only by the love of God, a mother's love is perhaps the strongest force in the universe. I am thankful to have been blessed with a dear mother who has loved and sacrificed for me throughout her life. It was wonderful to spend the day with her and members of my family. All of the children and their families accompanied her to church today. As my sister Beverly said as we watched her smiling from her seat in the choir, "She's as proud as a peacock that we are all her for her today." We were just as proud to be there with her on her special day.

After church, we had planned to take my mother, Willie Mae Ray, out to lunch. However, she suprised everyone and had prepared a delicous home-cooked meal second to none for the whole family. So we all gathered at her house for a special Mother's Day celebration after the church service. That's just typical of my mom...always thinking of others without regard for herself. The children all said, "Mom, you shouldn't have...but we're glad you did!" Thanks mom, I love you! Happy Mother's Day to all moms. Thanks for the treasure of a mother's love!

Richard

Young Witnesses for Christ

All too often we hear much about the bad things (drugs, sex, pornography, crime, etc.) in which some young people of today's troubled society are involved. However, all you have to do is look around our community to see the many good things that our youth are doing. In fact, I think that the positive far outweighs the negative when it comes to youth involvement, especially here is Patrick County where some of the finest kids on the planet are being raised.

A prime example of what I am talking about is the Patrick County High School Praise and Worship Team and its work in our community. On Saturday evening May 2nd, PCHS Praise and Worship team members sang during a gospel singing and old-fashioned weiner roast at Concord United Methodist Church. (The following day, they were scheduled to appear at the Landmark Assisted Living Center in Stuart.) I was so moved by their Saturday night performance and their witness for Christ that I am inspired to publicly commend this group of young Christians on this blog page. This small country church was filled to near capacity for the performance and everyone there seemed to be as moved spiritually as I was. It is an inspiration to see and hear teenagers speaking out for Jesus in words and song. The members of the team are just as eloquent in expressing their love for God and the blessings they receive from their participation in this group as they are talented in singing His praises. These young witnesses for Christ serve as positive role models for other young people and adults alike. They certainly warmed my heart and reminded me of the myriad of daily blessings from God that we should all be thankful to receive.

The Patrick County High School Praise and Worship Team is comprised of about 45 students from different grade levels. In a society plagued by ongoing efforts to take God out of our schools, government buildings, and other public places, the PCHS Praise and Worship Team stands as a testament to the fact that young people can have this outlet for expression of their faith without disrupting their schooling or the education of other students. The team meets at 7 a.m. each Thursday morning during the school year in the high school auditorium before the school day begins. During that time, the team prepares for a series of scheduled public appearances at various churches during the school year including my church Peters Creek Baptist on Sunday, May 7 at 7 p.m. The team will hold its annual picnic including pin ceremony, senior recognition, and celebration on Saturday, May 9th at Dehart Park, and will take part in the PCHS Baccalaurate Service on Sunday, May 31st.

Our community is certainly blessed to have this youth organization that is devoted to serving Christ at a time in the lives of these youngsters when peer pressure to do wrong is intense. I commend the PCHS Praise and Worship Team...Robin Amos, who guides the team...and the Patrick County Public School Administration for its support of this wonderful Christian organization for Patrick County High School students. To God be the glory!