Silly Old Bear

“Mommy, how did we get here?”

“Well, honey, a long, long time ago – way back even before Grampa and Grammy were born – there was this little bitty, tiny speck, floating out there in space all by itself. It was so small that you couldn’t even see it! There weren’t any stars yet, or the sun or the moon, or even the Earth. The only thing that was there was this little bitty, tiny speck, all by itself, way out there in outer space somewhere.”

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It was Tuesday, May 17, 1994. The east Texas sun warmed the afternoon air as we buried my 91-year-old grandmother beside her husband in Laws Chapel Cemetery on the outskirts of Atlanta, Texas. Grandpa Horace had preceded her in death by more than 25 years. He had been a faithful gospel preacher during his time. Mama Grace was a diligent student of God’s word, and had taught numerous Bible classes throughout her lifetime. These were my Dad’s parents.

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This week I expanded my blog universe with the discovery of a couple of fellow bloggers whose writing style I absolutely love. One of them is Kyla Roma (pictured at right). In her own words, Kyla is “a twenty four year old girl living in the Canadian Prairies under the biggest sky I’ve ever seen. I’m a black tea aficionado, crafty lady, vegetarian, thrift shopping addict, puppy mama and wife. I’m a homebody, a voracious reader and am deeply silly.”

I came across Kyla’s blog on January 5, and was impressed with the one resolution she made for the year 2010.

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I remember as a child hearing someone tell a joke (and probably repeating it myself) that went something like this:

• “What do you call a kid with no arms and no legs?”
• Answer: “First Base!”

Nick Vujicic (pronounced Voy-a-chich) probably heard lots of jokes like that growing up. Nick was born in December of 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. He was a healthy, happy, beautiful baby. There was just one problem. Nick was born with no arms and no legs. He was the kid we all joked about in third grade. Except, when it’s real, it’s not very funny at all.

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I have never been a huge fan of Reggae music. To be honest, though, I’ve never really given it much of a chance.

I was eating lunch with my good friend Zach yesterday, and the conversation turned to music. Zach is a big fan of Reggae music, and Bob Marley is his favorite artist in the genre. So I asked Zach what his favorite song is, and he quickly replied, “Three Little Birds”. I told Zach I was going to go home and find that song on the Internet and listen to it.

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Have you ever wondered if God is really there; if He is really listening to you when you pour out your heart to Him in prayer?

Has it ever gotten to the point that it seemed like He wasn’t there, or like He just didn’t even care?

Have you ever found yourself asking that question – “Where are you, God?” – desperately wanting to hear His gentle voice whisper, “Don’t worry; I’m right here”?

If you have ever experienced the loneliness of not feeling God’s presence – of not being able to find Him, or feel Him, or sense His closeness – you are not alone.

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What would you do if you were born without eyes, and with a tightening of the joints that prevented you from being able to straighten your arms and legs? Would you feel sorry for yourself? Would you consider yourself “disabled”? Life would certainly come with a greater level of difficulty.

I can’t even imagine being unable to see or walk. Yet, that’s exactly the situation in which Patrick Henry Hughes has found himself since the day he was born. However, when asked, “How would you describe your disabilities?”, Patrick just smiles really big and responds, “Not disabilities at all; more abilities.”

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Pam Nelson, a dear friend and high school classmate, recently posted to her Facebook status a thought-provoking list of “to do” items that will make anyone’s life more meaningful. I was intrigued as to the source of the list, so I Googled a few of the list items and found several websites with a nearly-identical list of 39 items, including the items from Pam’s Facebook list. I have edited the list in a few places for increased clarity or meaning, and have included relevant sources where appropriate. I want to share the list with you on the eve of this new year. Some of the list items will resonate with you more than others. That’s OK. Pick and choose the ones that mean the most to you, and resolve to incorporate them into your daily journey. I pray God’s richest blessings on you and yours for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

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Olympic Gold Medalist Nikki Stone has written a book promoting her unique philosophy of success, a philosophy which she calls “The Turtle Effect”. Nikki explains: “The Turtle Effect was taught to me by my mother when I was a young girl. She told me that I could achieve anything I wanted to as long as I remembered to have a soft inside, a hard shell, and be sure to stick my neck out.” [1] Nikki’s book is entitled Why Turtles Fly and is due out in January 2010. It can be pre-ordered through Amazon.com . 25% of the author’s net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the American Cancer Society. [2]

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Jake Taylor has it all: friends, fame, a basketball scholarship and the hottest girl in school. What could be better?

Enter Roger Dawson. Roger has nothing. No friends. No hope. Nothing but putdowns and getting pushed aside. Things couldn’t get worse … could they?

Jake and Roger were best friends when they were kids. But the politics of high school quickly pulled them apart. Now Roger doesn’t fit in Jake’s — or anyone’s — circle, and he’s had enough. He walks onto campus with a gun in his pocket and pain in his heart and makes a tragic move.

Jake’s last-ditch effort can’t stop Roger, and the sudden tragedy rocks Jake’s world. Something breaks loose inside and sends him questioning everything. Most of all, he can’t shake the question, Could I have saved Roger? In a quest for answers, Jake finds himself looking for the next Roger and reaching out to the geeks, losers and loners. But he quickly finds that crossing class castes threatens everything he’s built his world on. And it could cost him his own friends, his girl, his dreams and even his reputation. Is it worth the price to find the answer to his ultimate question: What do I want my life to be about?

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