Randy and Patty Kington

Update.....
The date for Randy Kington speaking as decribed below has been changed.....

They will now be here and speaking on Sunday August 17th at the 8 and 10.30 service at Dayton Methodist Church and again also on July 18 at 7 on Monday evening, and not July 27th as described previously in this blog....
Jack

A web site of Randy's speaking engagements... http://www.randykington.com/speaking.html


Many wonderful things and people have crossed my life this past, soon be a year, since loosing my wife of 29 years to the monster cancer. It has actually been or is becoming fun again to awake each day and see what happens between sun up and sun down. Finding this bunch of Marines as recommended by my freind Bill Slepcevich the Financial wizard in Naples,has been like walking into or joining a family that wants you there.

And then in the middle of that has been meeting Randy and Patty Kington. It happened at the first Country Club dinner setting I went to and was introduced around by Loran Loy. When I first shook Randy's hand and seen his smile and heard him speak I knew he was a man of great charactor. I have since read his great book "What A Life", about how the Nam war affected one Marine. I tell you all, this is the best book I have read in years, it is both a factual account of the war as Randy saw it, and he does is so well. The first maybe nine chapters are rivoting as he takes you from boot camp to taking the bullet that paralized him for life below the waist. But the very best part is the last couple chapters or so when he meets the love of his life Patty in the VA hospital. It then turns into one of the best love stories you will ever read...Get the book you will treasure it, and you will think of people who also would be blessed by reading it.

At one of the weekly luncheons someone said something about Randy speaking at a church that next Sunday. I sent him and email and kind of invited myself and he told me where it would be in downtown Naples. I pictured a small woooden church with 50 people in it so I did not take my camera so my eyes are the picture I am showing you now. As I approached the downtown I noticed an awful lot of traffic headed to that area, and I thought well something else must also be going on there that day...Parking was a problem and when I accomplished that I headed toward that park. People were coming in droves from all directions and suddenly my little wooden church kind of evaporated and there was this amphitheater with folding chairs everwhere under the trees. I grabbed one and found a seat maybe a couple hundred feet from the stage. Our color guard was there as the church was honoring veterans that day and the featured speaker was setting patiently off to the left side in his chair. He was in full dress blues bedecked in his many medal he had earned. I knew I had made a big mistake in not bringing the camera that day.

All the different services were ask to stand and honored, lots of Marines were there and then they sang some worship songs, and introduced Randy Kington. He rolled his chair out to the center, was totally in control and relaxed, and delivered one of the most uplifting testimonies about his Nation, His Marine Corps, and His God, that I think I may have ever heard. When it ended 1100 people were on their feet applauding this man for who he was, and for what he had said to them. If your ever get a chance to hear Randy do this, well its just something you need to do, you don't think about it, you just do it. And I think no one is prouder of this Marine than his gorgeous 5 foot red head wife Patty. Randy gives her credit over and over again for all he is and has been able to accomplish. He claims humorously that the Nation was so good to him, that they even issued him a wife. You see Patty visited Randy on a good will basis in a VA hospital. After the two hours of that visit it was love at first sight for both of them. Neither of them stood a chance of getting out of this single from that day forth. I was honored to have dinner with them one night a month ago and it was such a delight to be with both of them. I suggested to them something that Randy agreed with also, that the government did not issue him a wife. As he had been issued an angel, and that only God issues angels. Acutally I think Randy pretty much admits and protrays that in his talks.

You who are stuck here in Paradise called Naples will have the chance next year at the same church under those trees probably in Feb. to again hear this man, he changes his message from time to time so it will not be the same but my guess is the affect on people is the same. But for those of you who read this blog from my home town of Dayton Indiana near Lafayette, put August 17th and 18th on your calendar and don't even think about it....Just be at the Dayton Methodist Church one of those days when Randy and Patty have agreed to come and speak and all of those people will be blessed as were those 1100 that day. Randy's book will be available that day also, and I will be helping Patty sell those to the wize. He will tell his story at both the 8 and 10:30 services on Sunday and the 7 PM service on Monday evening. This will allow any of you who do not want to miss your own worship service on Sunday to catch Randy's good message on Monday evening.

I hope they bring plenty as after that service in that park a huge line formed to buy his book and have Randy sign them and shake his hand. I laid back and did not get in line as I was thinking maybe they would sell out...They did about 100 did not get to buy one that day but am sure got one at a book store here in Naples later.
My pastor John Walls back home hears your name once and he has it. I think Randy has been blessed with that also as I enjoyed standing about 25 feet away and just watching Randy talk to peeople and sign the books. He was talking to a gentlemen and caught me in the corner of his eye and said after meeting me only once, "Hey Jack", and never missed a beat continued that conversation.

So yes the Marine Detachment and the City of Naples and the County of Collier are all pretty darn proud of their own, the Kington's Patty and Randy.

Semper Fi, Randy and Semper Fi, Patty

Jack