« October 2007 | Main | December 2007 »
Yesterday after I got off work my feet were killing me. I thought of this old saying, "My dogs are barking!" Meaning my feet are killing me?...somebody please tell me how that makes sense...my feet are talking back to me?? I guess that's it. :) I think that's funny...who thought it up, and how did that phrase catch on?.
I thought this was a touching story, with a great message...
-----------------------
Column By Patrick Combs
-----------------------
Greatness Inspires Greatness
If you live in Philadelphia you probably know this story. An
11 year old boy named Joey Jones is "skating" in his socks
across the floor of church shelter he and his mom were
staying at in North Philly; homeless because Joey's mom
Karen had recently lost her job at a print shop and been
evicted from her apartment.
Joey seemed to love skating in his socks so one day Karen
took him to a real ice skating rink. Joey laced on old
skates and loved it.
Karen quickly re-employed herself at an auto parts plant at
$9.9 an hour. Then, by working overtime five days a week for
months and months, she got her and her son out of the
shelter and into affordable housing.
Joey loves skating so much that Karen keeps taking him. Then
11 months after his mom had first introduced him to a sport
he'd only seen on television, a man named Jimi spotted Joey
skating at a public rink. The young boy's hunger for the
sport shined brightly and it ignited the spirit of
generosity in Jimi, a local coach of the sport. Jimi began
coaching Joey for free.
Young Joey's passion for the sport was pure greatness. He
skated with enthusiasm, diligence, fearlessness, and even a
sense of play. Most athletes curse when they fail to do what
they were attempting. Joey tries, falls and giggles.
Soon, through Jimi's introductions, other people were
ignited in generosity. A city center designer gave Joey
blades and a costume. A choreographer helped him with his
routine.
Over the next year Joey won 6 gold medals at area
competitions, and captured the state championship for pre-
juveniles. By becoming a state champion he qualified himself
for the inaugural American State Games in St. Louis.
Joey's dream, in his own words, is to win two Olympics and a
couple of world championships. His mother finds herself
wondering how she'll ever pay for such an expensive sport,
usually reserved for children of rich parents.
Just for Joey to go to the national competition in St. Louis
was a $3000 expense. Karen raffled off her TV, cd player,
and a camera to neighbors and raised $300. She raised a
little bit more with a bake sale. She was still a long way
away from the $3000, and not even making a dent in the
$25,000 amount that it would take for her son to compete at
a national level for a year.
Then a reporter for the Philly Daily News, named Mark Kramm,
got wind of Joey's story and wrote a moving article about
it. Two friends, Anthony Casey and Clement Butterfield, read
the story and were touched by it.
Casey, only 31 years old, remembered how he wanted to swim
when he was Joey's age but was discouraged. He could
identify with having a dream once. Butterfield, a man of 40
years old, was sensitive to the difference some help would
make during challenging times. He, and many of his friends,
had been there and not gotten any.
Anthony and Clement decided they should do something, and
began taking up donations from their friends and neighbors
-- ultimately 700 of the 880 people they asked donated a
total of $1,000.
Anthony and Clement weren't the only people to donate money
to Joey's dream. Within two months of the news paper
article, a total of $10,000 had been donated. Karen and Joey
were overwhelmed by the generous response. But they were
especially amazed by the donation from Anthony and Clement
and their 700 friends and neighbors.
$1000 from 700 people means on average each person gave only
$1.42. That might not seem like a lot until you know that
Anthony, Clement and their neighbors all make only .19 cents
an hour, because they're in prison.
We were all born great, which means we can always remember
our greatness. No matter where we are, where we've been or
what we do for a living, an opportunity to be great is
always present. A chance to be daring. A chance to be
selfless. A perfect time to be heroic.
Greatness is displayed through the passionate and daring
efforts of an athlete. But greatness is also the strength
and courage displayed by a loving parent, and the generosity
offered up by a community of people.
Until next time, be great.
Some things said are worth pondering...this is one of them.
Today's Quote
Forgiveness is having the courage to take down the walls that we think are there to protect us.
-Suztes40
Ever have one of those days when you aren't feeling too bad about yourself. You know you need to lose some weight, but for the moment it's not nagging you, and you feel half way decent.
Then it has to take an ugly turn, you pick up the mail and it has the Victoria Secret flyer in it...not one but two...geez....I'm feeling low. I don't shop at Victoria Secret except to buy perfume these days! Now I'm feeling even more down.
Well, guess that is why I love Jesus so much. He loves me just the way I am. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
In fact, He can't stop thinking about us. He loves us that much! His thoughts towards us are more than the grains of sand on the beach.
Even the people I love best are never in my thoughts that much.
Jesus loves me just the way I am.
It is because of this love we find, and will find the courage to change.
I love the words to this song that says, I'm accepted, I'm accepted, I'm accepted...by the one who matters most. Feeling low? Feeling a bit fluffy like me...know that you are still loved and precious in God's eyes! He has eyes of faith!! :)
Patience is one of those things you just can't buy! If I could, I would have some stockpiled!! It's been a long time ago, but I looked up patience in the dictionary, and I think one of the definition's was: the ability to wait, without complaining!!
For several month's now, I have been persevering through a situation that I would normally have said, "forget it! I don't need this aggravation!" However, I feel that God has been putting it on my heart to trust Him, and not let my feelings get in the way.
Feelings can be those powerful emotions that send you over the edge when you least expect it. In the bible it says (paraphrased) that a patient man is a man of great understanding. That makes me think of the story of a man that gets on the metro with his three children. The children are running around, making noise, disturbing any peace that can be found. One of the other passenger's becomes annoyed quite quickly. He tries to hold his tongue, but totally exasperated finally says to the father of the children...."Can't you do a better job of keeping your children under control!!" The father lovingly looks up at the man and says, "I am really sorry. I just left the hospital , my wife has just died, and I was sitting here thinking about how a single dad is going to take care of all of these children without their mother, and how much I am going to miss the love of my life" I really am sorry for disturbing you.
Now, if the man who got upset truly understood the other man's situation, he would have reacted differently. The man didn't have all the facts...he didn't fully understand the situation. I think that is why the bible says that a man of patience has great understanding. Meaning he really understands the situation, and because of that can have the patience needed to endure what is happening.
We're quick to access, react, judge, and come to conclusions about any situation on any given day. Sometimes we need to sit back, pray, and see if there's something we are not understanding.
Patience is a virtue. A part of our "character wardrobe" that few of us wear very often. For some silly reason the line from Mary Poppins came to my mind...just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Patience is the sugar that helps the medicine of a situation taste better.
I want to have whatever patience I need to fully understand things. If I'm quick to react, I may find out later on that I didn't fully understand. Having patience can give us time to see more clearly, and just like the man on the metro was annoyed...until he truly understood, and wouldn't you have hated to be him when he did?? Good lesson to keep in mind!
I love my husband's grandmother. She is one of those ladies who is multi-talented. She cooks some of the best food you will ever taste, she quilts, crochets, knits, any kind of craft you can think of...she knows how to do.
Over the years, she has taught me how to do some of these things. I can crochet some, knit some, and I can make a mean batch of collard greens! Here's the funny thing...I'm from Montana...never heard of a collard green before coming to the south, and I LOVE collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens. Now, my husband who grew up here in the south can't stand any of the green's family. Whoda thunk it?!
Anyhow, on one occasion grandma was teaching me how to use a pressure cooker. If you ever want fear to strike your heart, just mess around with a pressure cooker. If you don't know what you are doing, it can totally explode, send everything in the pot up to the ceiling and beyond, not to mention the risk of a severe burn!
I'm still terrified of pressure cookers, and I never learned how to operate one. However, I often see people's lives just like the pressure cooker. Things just build and build until one day they just explode. One of the tricks with the pressure cooker is allowing the right amount of steam to come out to keep the pressure from building up.
We definitely need to keep the lines of communication open to God. Clog that line and there will be evidence to support that fact soon enough.
Always have good Christian friends, ones who have the knack of helping you look to God for answers, and love you through the tough times.
I do hope some day that I will learn how to use a pressure cooker. Some of the most delicious meals you ever want to taste are made in the pressure cooker.
When we are in the pressure cooker, it can be a place in our lives that will bring out the best in us. None of us ever love to be in the pressure cooker, but when we can see what was made when we come out on the other side...it's worth it!
Recent Comments