12.25.2007

I’ve been home for a little over 7 months and have meant to send a recap for months, but allowed numerous opportunities to pass because the time wasn’t right. I can’t describe how great it is to be home for Christmas. I spent last Christmas near Kabul (see attached email), and was proud to serve while some of the younger guys went home for the holidays. It was hard missing everything at home though, but that has just made this year unbelievably sweet. The kids are phenomenal, and Candace and I are very thankful for what we have. All I’ve really wanted this year is to be home with family, and you can see from the attached picture things are pretty much back to normal.

It does seem like Christmas has started badly in Jacksonville. We had a huge explosion in a chemical plant that killed several people including a member of our church, who actually lived in my house years before we moved here. A neighborhood church burned down Sunday morning, but thankfully no one was hurt. We have a very close community, though and will all do what we can to ensure the affected families are cared for. More than anything, I have a different perspective. Family and friends can help us through anything, whether the challenge is combat, cancer or traffic.

My Afghanistan blog will be back online soon, and will be included on my website (www.JonSingleton.com) as I relaunch it in the next few weeks. I keep getting constant reminders of my time there, and my interpreter Ajmal actually called me yesterday from Afghanistan to wish me a Merry Christmas. Business is looking good, and we hope the interest rates will continue to drop and spark more real estate activity this Spring. I really appreciate all the support during my sojourn overseas.