Scott A. Meehan's Blog, page 4

Asha’s ramblins’ and afterthoughts

Hey everyone, Asha here. Sorry I’m late, but I had a lot of homework today. Go figure.

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On the bright side of Hurricane Irma, many people, including Major Scott and his family, made it through without great heartache. There are those still without power however and many whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the wind and floods. These people still need our prayer and more importantly, our help.

Something bothers me though about this hurricane tracking thing. After Irma moved on, people still lost their lives because they either forgot or did not know the traffic laws when coming to intersections without functional traffic lights. Drivers are supposed to treat the intersection like a four-way STOP. Many did not…and it cost them.

The other post-hurricane tragedy was the loss of lives by carbon monoxide poisoning when using generators indoors.  So, this is what’s bothering me—why do newscasters spend so much time yackity-yacking about the same things over and over, some of them while standing in the middle of high winds for crying out loud, and forget to remind people about the traffic light laws and using generators indoors? Hmm? Maybe next time—before the fact.

In sports—I’m skipping the NFL because, well, my dad is a career soldier and this disrespecting the flag business is not my cup of tea. In fact, I am so annoyed about it. I would say more but may come across as not being too nice…so, moving on. I mean, I am a nice girl, right? And I don’t want to stay ruffled. Hee hee, ha ha. How about those Cleveland Indians in major league baseball? Really cool! They go for the record tonight—I think.

If you are a book fan, do not forget the Indie Author BookFest 2017 in Orlando, Florida! It runs from 29 September through 1 October. Major Scott will have his books there and if you want, you can read all about how my mom and dad met in Afghanistan and about my brothers, my new sister, and me when I was eleven—turning twelve. That’s when my dad stood face-to-face with an ISIS commander in Iraq. For more on this Book Fest, please go to

https://www.facebook.com/events/314373512289552/

Time to close for the week. I like this following verse from the book of Proverbs so I’ll share it. “A heart of peace gives life to the body.” That is found in chapter 14 in case you were wondering. Have a great week everyone!

Bah,

Asha (One each)

Pray

[image error]Hey everyone, Asha here. I hope you are doing okay—I mean, do you ever get that feeling of…being overwhelmed sometimes? That’s me now—although it’s not all bad.

I told you last week that Major Scott had a heart attack and had to spend four days in the hospital. He is doing okay now, recovering with rest and medications. He still cannot drive anywhere or go to work yet. His wife took off from school to take him to his Cardiologist appointment and after waiting nearly two hours was informed that he would not be coming in and he would have to reschedule for the next day. As Pooh would say, “Oh bother.”

 

The other thing is that Major Scott’s dad was admitted to the hospital after he arrived back home in Tennessee. He has Shingles and a high fever. At least he made it back home safely.

 

Now, as America turns their attention from Hurricane Harvey to the massive Hurricane Irma, Major Scott and his family will hunker down like the rest of the Floridians in preparation for the worse but hoping for the best. Folks from south Florida are already evacuating north.

 

Texans are still recovering or trying to, from Hurricane Harvey and could face another one in its wake, Hurricane Katia in the Gulf of Mexico. Ahh, does it ever end. I am glad that I live in Tennessee but that’s rather selfish of me not to think of others and their plight. So, I have been praying in our prayer room—earnestly.

 

I found that the most comforting words for the weary—like me sometimes…hee hee, ha ha, are from the book of Psalms, my personal favorite. So, here’s a quote that I’ve meditated on and will share with y’all.

 

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” –Psalm 111:2; 112: 6, 7

Keep your heart steadfast Major Scott. The rest of y’all too—please.

 

Bah,

Asha

Psalm 91

[image error]During my twenty-five year career in the Army from 1980 to 2005, I deployed to the war zone in the Middle East on four different occasions. Each deployment presented its own unique mission challenges and the experiences that accompanied them. To learn more in specific detail, please go to: https://books.pronoun.com/stone-in-a-sling/

 

When I was on my first deployment in 1991 for Operation Desert Storm, I decided to memorize Psalm 91. One night as I was standing outside my tent near the Kuwait border in the desert of Saudi Arabia, I watched the orange glow over the horizon where our Air Force had been bombing the smithereens out of the Iraqi forces on the front lines. Then I remembered Psalm 91:9 & 10. “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.”

 

Days later when truckloads of Iraq prisoners arrived at the Kibrit prisoner of war camp, my driver and I counted sixty per truckload with a line of sixty trucks, giving a fair estimate at 3600 enemy soldiers compared to a hundred or so Marines, Special ops. and National Guard MPs. The verse from Psalm 91:7 came to mind: “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”

 

Fifteen years later, I remembered Psalm 91 when preparing for bed one night while on an assignment in Baghdad. I heard the swishing sound of rockets fly overhead followed by thunderous explosions approximately two miles away. I prayed, “Lord, cover me with your feathers and under your wings may I find refuge. May your faithfulness be my shield and rampart. I do not need to fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day” (Psalm 91:4 & 5).

 

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Rest

[image error]Hello everyone ~ Asha here. This week has been crazy bad. I know I’m a day late but never a dollar short. Go figure. The author of my character, Major Scott, had a myocardial infarction—or putting it in plain language, a heart attack. Yikes! Fortunately, after four days in the hospital with great care, medications, and lots of prayer, from many of you, he is back home and doing better. He’ll have to take it easy, make some lifestyle changes, and eventually go through cardio rehab but his spirits are still high and he is still faithful.

He still wanted me to Blog, probably because I’m his favorite character—hee hee, ha ha, so here I am. School is going well and the family is well.

Now for the big news event. At the end of this month, September 28th through October 1st, Orlando will be hosting the annual Indie Author BookFest 2017. The four-day event will be held at The Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North on 2974 International Parkway. This is in Lake Mary, FL 32746.

This Indie BookFest is an annual author-reader event focuses both on author continuing education and on reader interaction. IBF17 will include a full day of workshops and panels aimed at authors of all experience levels, FanFare, an evening occasion where readers and authors meet in a relaxed environment, a keynote speech, reader-focused panels, a three-hour long signing open to the public and a Saturday night party.

Major Scott will be there with his five published books and details on contests involving me. I will not be there in person but will be on a cool poster instead…hee ha. If ya’ll can, come by and see the displays of more than eighty authors and their published books. For more information, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indie-bookfest-2017-tickets-29546857446?aff=es2

Well, before I go, please pray for Major Scott and all the people in Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Harvey. Lord, give strength and wisdom to all those who help and those who need help this day. Amen.

Bah,

Asha

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Sophomore Poetry

[image error]Hey everyone! Asha here. I’ve been extremely busy since school started again. I’m a sophomore, can you believe it? My parents can’t. They keep telling me to stop growing up so fast. Hee hee, ha ha.

The Major wanted me to tell ya’ll that he is still giving away books. You don’t even have to say, “I dig Asha.” Just indicate your interest. He will give away three books of your choice for the next three readers to respond to my Blog.

So, my Blog today. Um, I want to share a poem with you. I’m in Lit. class and had to do one—so why not share it? Here goes:

 

     I’ll help others see the light

     By doing what is right

     I’ll be strong and courageous; won’t hide

     There is a greater power on our side

     No need to be rattled

     God will fight our battles

     Refrain from war when throwing the dice

     Prepare for war with wise advice

    The most high is my rock and fortress

    My God in whom I trust

    My heart has heard you say,

    Come and talk with me

    And my heart responds

    Lord, I am coming

    The Kingdom of God is not just talk

    It is living by God’s power and my daily walk

 

I hope you liked it. Until next week ~

 

Bah,

Asha

August 22, 1984

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Heart & Soul

[image error]Hello everyone—I hope you had a great week. I have something very important to tell you but first, just a couple of announcements. They’ll be quick, I promise.

 

1. Last week we had a first place winner who won all three books of the Major’s “Army Brat” series. Congratulations to Kathy! There are still two more chances to win—second and third place. Please see my Blog from last week for details.

 

2. The book, “Walk with Warriors: Journey of Heroes” by Shannon Whittington is now available on Amazon!

Kindle: http://ow.ly/XqMT30etIeF

Paperback: http://ow.ly/5sTD30etIpb

This book is a compilation of stories contributed by 22 veterans, each sharing their own personal journey in the US Military. These veterans represent all branches of our military. The Major has his story about when he was a Private going through Airborne school in 1980. Check it out! Proceeds from books sales go back into Veteran programs.

 

Now, what I was going to tell you that is very important to me. When I was twelve, I accepted the way, the truth, and the life as being Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I mean, I played the church game while growing up and was even involved with the youth program at our church. But…there was something missing—like the song by U2, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

 

When my dad was in Iraq, I found myself in my mother’s “Prayer Room” more often than not. During one of those times, I asked the Father to forgive me of my sins through the blood of Jesus who died for you and me. Then I felt an overwhelming peace that—that penetrated deep into my heart. You might say that God is my Heart & Soul! I found a verse in the Bible I think is really cool:

 

Psalm 27:8

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

See—cool, right? I think so anyway. I just had to share that with you. By the way, I still try hard to do the right thing and I have to work on my anger issues some…but nobody is perfect, right? Hee hee, ha ha.

So, until next week—bah

Asha

Ah’sha

[image error]Hey everyone, it’s me again, Asha. I hope you all had a great week! I always do! I have some exciting news to share with you! First, please allow me to set three things straight. Here goes:

 

1. Many people may refer to me as Asha, like Ash’ah. That’s okay but the real way to pronounce my name is, Ah’ sha. We’re cool though, right?

 

2. Although I am only a character in the Major’s book, (He lets me call him “Major”) my pictures are very real because I am a model.

 

3. Finally, my sister Miriam is also a character in the Major’s book but she is also very real as are her photos. She is actually an actress.

 

Whenever you go to https://www.PTSIO.org read our Blogs, and like them, why not reach out to us with your questions, comments, and your own Blogs, writings, pictures, or drawings? We would love to connect and communicate! We promise not to send out emails and newsletters unless you specifically ask for either one. We know exactly how our email accounts get flooded with unwanted spam and stuff so he is not all about that type of advertising.

 

Now for the exciting stuff! The first three people who respond to our PTSIO.org site with anything: questions, comments, his or her work, even just a “Hi” will win prizes. Here is what you do:

 

1. Log into PTSIO.org

2. Read about how cool I am and respond with, “I dig Asha” (Hee hee ha ha).

3. The first person to respond will win the Army Brats trilogy-yep all three.

4. The second person to respond will win the first two books.

5. The third person will win the first book only, about how my parents met in Afghanistan while being chased by the evil Taliban. Even to this day, they are still evil! Yikes!

 

You would just let us know, once notified, whether you want an ebook or hard copy paperback.

 

Well, looking forward to hearing from you! Until next week!

 

Bah (as they say here in Tennessee),

Asha Hawkins (One each)

Hawkins: Army of One

[image error]Hello everyone, it’s me again, Asha—trying to look “BAD…” Hee hee, ha ha. How has everyone been doing since I last communicated with you? Some of you took my advice and wanted to know more about my parent’s story. For the rest of you, you can find it here: https://books.pronoun.com/the-prince-the-princess/

All’s cool with me—thanks for asking. School is about to start again and I look forward to my junior year. My adopted sister, Miriam, will join me as a junior also, which is good because we are the best of friends. I’d like to tell you a little about her so here goes!

When I was almost twelve, my dad was sent on a Top Secret mission. My mom, brothers, and I did not know at the time where he was going but it turns out he was sent to Iraq to rescue another oppressed victim from tyranny. In this case, she turned out to be Miriam.

Back in 2006, my dad and his team were conducting operations in Fallujah, Iraq. This city in the al-Anbar Province along with Ramadi was the birthplace of the “Awakening”. This movement, also known as “The Sons of Iraq” or the “Sahwah” was a unified effort between local Sunni tribal leaders and Coalition forces to remove the influence of Al-Qaeda.

When my dad treated a young five-year-old girl for shrapnel wounds and nursed her to health, she was like his shadow. He also became close friends with Sheik Abdullah from the Albu Nimr tribe as a result—particularly because she, Miriam, was his daughter.

Anyway, seven years later in 2013, ISIS began a sweep back into Iraq from Syria and took over the cities in the al-Anbar province. At first, Sheik Abdullah’s Albu Minr tribe welcomed them warmly because of what they saw as a corrupt Shi’a led government in Baghdad. Then, the people saw how ISIS commanders committed atrocities against anyone opposed to their view. This was the first sign of alarm for many of the local Sunni tribes.

When an ISIS commander took Sheik Abdullah’s oldest daughter in a semi-forcible marriage, he got word out to the CIA with a specific request for my dad, “Commander Hawk,” to come get his youngest daughter to live in the United States and in exchange, he would provide valuable intelligence about an ISIS plan to attack Baghdad.

When I later found out about what my dad went through to get her, I was extremely upset. I’m not going to tell you why though. You’ll have to read it for yourself.

https://books.pronoun.com/the-hawkins/

Well, gotta run! Stay cool—like me! Hee hee, ha ha.

Asha

Stronghold

[image error]You, Lord, have been and still are my light that guides me through the darkness. You have been and are my salvation—saving me from physical danger and from spiritual annihilation…from Satan’s schemes and clutches. Because this is so, whom shall I fear? The leftist guerrillas in Colombia, South America? You rescued me from their evil scheme and saved me from their destructive bombing in 1976.

Of whom shall I be afraid? The Soviet KGB? You prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies and I enjoyed several delicious meals with the shrewd agent. In the end, I handed him your Word—the Word of God.

How about the Sunni insurgents? Yes, I went to battle in the Middle East four times and came back each time unscathed…despite being on the front lines with the Marines during the Gulf War, residing in Camp “Bombaconda” for a year, and flying around the country of Iraq day and night, making high-risk deliveries to our team. The fact is, you even provided me the information that led to the capture of Saddam Hussein himself.

Because you are the Lord my God—the stronghold of my life…I need not be afraid of anyone. I just need to be still and know that you are God.

(Scripture based on selections from Psalm 23, 27 and 46).