The Blessing Room with Jay Blount by Karen & Craig Ruhl
A few months ago, we were at the Charles George Veterans Administration Hospital in Asheville, NC, where Craig was to undergo an exploratory heart catheterization to prepare for the replacement of his aortic valve at a later date. Once Craig was taken back to the preparatory area, they escorted Karen to a nearby waiting room. The procedure and recovery would take several hours, and Karen had brought reading material, a word game book, and her electronic tablet to occupy her while she waited. She also looked forward to chatting with others who would also be waiting.
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A man entered the waiting room where Karen and several others were sitting. Karen struck up a conversation with one of the ladies and they were chatting about their husbands. The man that entered the waiting room said hello and started telling them about Jesus. Karen was excited and so was the lady she was talking with. The other two in the room were keeping to themselves for a little while. But Jay is not one to be ignored! He wanted everyone to know that they were not alone, and that Jesus was watching over us all. He quoted scripture and engaged people in conversation through questions. He kept looking at Karen and at one point stopped and said, “Your smile is amazing.” Karen was excited to find another person on fire for Christ and was amazed that he walked into this room and brought comfort and peace to people he didn’t even know. After he finished speaking, Karen introduced herself and told him about the magazine. She told him that he was her God appointment for the day and would like to talk to him soon. When Karen could join Craig in the recovery area, she was excited to share about her meeting with Jay Blount, the man in the waiting room. Craig and Karen agreed that Faith On Every Corner readers would be interested in learning more about Karen and Jay’s conversations and that he would be an exciting person to interview. Recently, Craig interviewed Jason Blount (Jay) via Messenger. The following is a recap of that interview. Jason (Jay) Blount was born in Brooklyn, NY, grew up in James City, NC, and moved to San Diego, CA in junior high school. He and his wife, Ann, now live in Swannanoa, NC. Jay served in the Army, from 1981 to 1987. During that time, his duty post was in Germany. Ann also served for close to 15 years in the Army–active duty and National Guard. Their family includes two daughters and a son.
