Sweet Friends Along the Way....

                           

HOTTY TODDY!!! GO REBELS

     Yes, I post random things on my blog.  But, random things with meaning.  One very special person in my life wrote a blog about his college football team that brought goose bumps to my skin.  My hubby, Danny, is so excited about the new coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.  I'm not a football fan, but I’m becoming a huge fan of this coach. 

     Some say when you marry a person you marry his family/friends. I'm going to also add: you marry his football team.  I can't wait to see what this new coach will do in these players’ lives.  Coach Freeze is a man of faith so I will not be surprised if God works His amazing power in some of these players through Him.  It will be so amazing to watch the transformation.  It will be a process because they are in the wilderness as Coach Freeze mentions, but I fully believe his integrity and faith will take them to amazing places even if they don't succeed in winning every game. 

      Here's to Ole Miss football and their new head coach. May God be with them this season and show the team what it's like to really "win". 

If you watch any of this video, please watch the last 12 minutes.  It proves what this coach is all about:

How the West was Won: The Beginning of Restoration

As the season opener draws near, I can once again feel the excitement building inside of me. We are on a journey Rebel Nation, and it will take time. However, the seeds of success have been planted and are being watered. I remember my skepticism in December when Freeze was hired. I remember judging his lack of experience and wondering why we "settled". With my heart hardened, I watched the press conference at the Ford Center where Freeze was introduced as our new head coach. Less than 30 seconds into his speech my heart softened. In an moment of vulnerability and transparency, Freeze nearly broke down allowing everyone watching to see how grateful he was for this opportunity. As he continued, something inside of me began to change and an unfamiliar feeling began to stir in my heart... Hope. Freeze went on to lay out a plan to restore our program. While any coach could have and would have come up with a plan, Freeze's passion for the Lord, heartfelt desire to be here and confidence in our future is not something we would have found in another candidate. Yes, we have a long, tough road ahead and I think, for the most part, we are all well aware of it. Freeze is recruiting character and building character among existing players. The latter is far more difficult and a few consecutive losses early on could cause the weaker links to fall back into a hole. But that's why this is a process. Character transformation takes faith and time. Not an easy task but I'm encouraged by how far some of our players have come in only 9 months. As the title suggests, I truly believe great things await our program under this staff but these things are not likely to happen as quick as we would all desire. If you agree so far, you will also agree that our task as fans is also a tough one. We must remain committed to the current staff and stay optimistic. Below is an awesome 20 minute compilation of the beginning of the Freeze Era. 
Makes me proud to be a Rebel. Hotty Toddy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4it8JRZeGbY&feature=relmfu  

A Letter of Love

My Dearly Loved,

            I wish you could see the beauty I see in you.  I wish you could feel my heart break when you don’t feel loved or beautiful.  I wish you knew the kind of love I have for you and how nothing could ever separate this deep love.  It’s hard to explain this type of love in words…there’s nothing else like it.  I wish you were aware of how many times I have counted each hair on your head.  Or, how I’ve engraved you on the palm of my hands.  I wish you could’ve been there to see them spit in my face. Or, to see my skin rip and tear when they flogged me.  I wish you could’ve been there when they hammered the crown of thorns deep into my flesh.  I wish you could’ve have seen me beaten, bruised and barely hanging on carrying the cross for you.  Or, to have seen each nail pierced painfully into my arms and feet.  I wish you could’ve been there to see me struggle for breath desperately wanting to go home, but hanging on until my Father's plan was fulfilled.  I wish you could’ve seen the darkness cover the land and the veil torn after my last breath.  I wish you could see the place I have prepared for you.  It’s called paradise where you will one day be with me. Where there will be no more tears or pain.  Just me and you together, forever.  

Don’t ever question how much I love you or how deep this love goes.  And if you ever do, remember what I’ve done for you on the cross.  I've given you things on this earth to enjoy, but It’s best you don’t focus on this world because it will cause you to stumble.  You also don’t have to focus on following the rules because the human race will always fall short.  I just ask that you love me with all of you heart and don’t forget to love others on your journey regardless of where they are in life.  I love them just the same as I love you.  Do not judge them for if you do, you’ll also be judged.  I will take care of the rest.  You don’t have to worry or fear, my sweet one.  I’ve paid for EVERYTHING and it was all for you.

Love,

J.C.

He is Faithful, Even When My Skies Are Gray

"He is faithful to the marrow, so faithful that He comes with a guarantee. This guarantee is Jesus, and He promises to us His constant presence ("I will never leave you nor forsake you," Hebrew 13:5). Our learning to crawl may take some time. Learning to trust Him completely may take even longer. The beauty of the promise to be there is just that-- He will be there while you deal with trust issues and belief issues. He will be there while you wonder at sovereignty and get angry at it because you have nothing to do with it. He will be there when you're ready to talk, and He'll listen as you babble on about nonsense. And when you're ready, He'll speak back to you and begin to unravel some of the mystery. Not all of it. We are bound to limited eyesight, and we must understand that it will never be crystal clear on this planet. But learning to trust Him in everything means knowing you'll never know it all.... and He will. It means learning that He always has the best end in mind. It means more hurt is sure to come, but when it does, He feels it with you. Working through our trust in the beauty of faith and hope in God means we are poised to hear the whispers of small answers to our questions." Candi Pearson-Shelton

Fun in Charleston

Pay attention...she's starting to throw mini-tantrums when she wants to continue doing something. I adore her laughter and happy spirit! I absolutely love being her Mom. :)

"The Brightest Little Star"

May his life shine through our love, support and prayers, and may the work of Compassion help him become "The Brightest Little Star”.

            Danny and I received a call that we weren’t expecting just a few days ago.  A call that was yet another reminder of how life is precious.  A sweet six-year-old little boy that we sponsor in Tanzania went to be with Christ on May 25, 2012.  He and his family were in a tragic car accident and he was the only one that did not survive.  We wanted more details, but unfortunately, this is all the information we received.  We wanted to be right there with his family holding them and wiping their tears. We wanted to remind them that their precious little boy was in Heaven with his Creator. 

          This little boy was born on November 18, 2005.  He drew us pictures and wrote us letters.  We sent him a picture of our bulletin board with his work showcased so he would know that we thought it was special to us.  We wanted him to know that we were proud of him as if he was part of our family.

          He would tell us about his family.  Some of the things he enjoyed doing was playing football (soccer), skipping and playing with cars.  Another favorite thing he mentioned was fetching water on three different occasions (he really liked this activity). He mentioned that he spent most of his time with his Dad.  Through him, I was humbled.  He made me realize that you can be happy without a lot the stuff.  He also reminded me of how blessed most of us are in this country.  I think this picture is a drawing of him fetching water with his Mom.  Danny thinks that it's his favorite activity because he gets to spend time with his mother.  Or, playing in water as a kid is pretty universal.

                 

               We loved him even though we hardly knew him.  The definition of compassion is “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.”  After reading this definition, feelings of guilt crept in. I should’ve done so much more for him. I should've prayed for him and his family more. I should’ve written him more letters.  I should’ve told him that I loved him more. I should’ve visited him.  I felt selfish.  I didn’t feel compassionate at all.  Why do we feel this way after someone we love passes? Why don’t we do the things we wished we had done while they’re here so we don’t regret the things we didn’t do when they’re gone.  How many more reminders of this simple principle do I need to recieve before it’s too late?

            After the phone call, Danny and I made a commitment that the next life we bring into our family and the ones that are in it now will be cherished more.  We will do our very best to comply with this definition of compassion even if they're across the world. We will do all the things that we wished we had done for this little boy and more.  

            Please pray for the father, mother and three brothers of this family.  I don’t want to reveal names for their privacy.   Please pray for us that we make a conscious effort to love those with all that we have who are still here on this earth. Please pray that we cherish each moment and that we’re continuously humbled during this life so we can be more compassionate.... Carpe Diem.

Jeremiah 1:5 says that God knew you before He even formed you in the womb.  He thought of you and planned for you, specifically.  He made you with a very specific set of qualities, skills sets and emotions.  They may not be the qualities, skill sets and emotions that you would have chosen or desire but you were hand crafted with a purpose by the Creator of the Universe.  The next time you feel like you’re not good enough.  The next time you feel worthless.  The next time you feel unloved. Remember this, every single thing about you makes you the most qualified person in the world to do what God has called you to do.  So you do have a purpose, a very special one in fact. Following this purpose that God has laid out for you would likely result in tremendous self-worth and confidence.  God loves you so much and so do we! (Letter written by Danny to this sweet boy).

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same." Because there had never been anyone like you... ever in the world.  So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name.  

It sailed through the farmland high on the breeze...

Over the ocean...

And through the trees...

Until everyone heard it and everyone knew of the one and only ever you. Not once had there been such eyes, such a nose, such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes. In fact, I think I'll count to three so you can wiggle your toes for me. When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn. From faraway places, the geese flew home.  The moon stayed up until morning next day. And none of the ladybugs flew away. 

So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far, listen for geese honking high in the sky. (They're singing a song to remember you by.)

Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo. (It's because they've been dancing all night for you!)

Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind (Listen closely...it's whispering you name again!)

If the moon stays up until morning one day, or a ladybug lands and decides to stay, or a little bird sits at your window awhile, it's because they're all hoping to see you smile...

For never before in story or rhyme (not even once upon a time) has the world ever known a you, my dear, and it never will, not ever again...

Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born.

Happy Birthday, our sweet Adalyn Rose!  

Words cannot describe how much God has used you to change our lives.  

You bring incredible joy, happiness and laughter.  

We're praising God that you're here with us! 

"You are the one and only ever you."

I love you, my little sweetheart!