The Good, the Bad, and the Inspiring. . .

Should I begin with the good?

Oh, yes, I should!

The Good! This past Saturday night Erik and I left the littles (Lija and Eriky D.) with a babysitter, and we took the big boys and drove to Starkville, MS to watch the MSU/FL game!! I was thrilled because I. LOVE. TIM. TEBOW!!! A friend of Erik's gave us wonderful seats, and we had an awesome view of the game!! :-) I was in heaven with my little boys around me! Experiencing the excitement of a college football game with them for the first time was soooo fun!! All was well and good and wonderful until the game started and something that I had not anticipated happened. . .

Cowbells.

Oh, my goodness, gracious COWBELLS!!

Are you serious, people???!!!

Like I knew MSU fans rang cowbells. I knew it, but I had never experienced it. Not until Saturday night, that is. Now, I know.

Yes, now, I know.

I swear Mississippi State grads are certain to lose their hearing by age 30!!

One word came to mind as those around us continued to ring their beloved (and, might I add, illegal in the SEC, but obviously not in our section! :-)) cowbells throughout the game, and that word is. . .

Deafening.

I asked Erik midway through the game if they would be handing out hearing aids at the exits!! :-) I'm sure we yelled at each other the entire way home, but none of us would have known the difference!!! :-)

It was an absolute blast!! We got home very late, but it was completely worth it! A happy memory it was! And, I have a new respect for the cowbell. I can't wait to do it again!!

The Bad. When it rains it pours, right? Well last week was one of those weeks. In a matter of days, I received all of this news. . . A close friend's grandmother passed away, a good friend had to be hospitalized for something I had not seen coming, a friend in our church was diagnosed with uterine cancer, a friend's marriage is in turmoil, but there is one that hurts my heart the most. And, that is a little girl (4th grade) at Joshua's school has been diagnosed with cancer for the second time. Just over a week ago she was a hometown celebrity with Erik at the benefit for the Make a Wish Foundation, and now she will face the whole cancer thing again. Please say a prayer for her and her family as they walk this road once again. She is having surgery at St. Jude on Thursday. They have to go in through her cheek bone (the cancer is between her brain and her skull). There will be a plastic surgeon working with the neurosurgeon during the surgery attempting to reconstruct her face as very best they can. Then, she will undergo very intense chemo. So, please say a prayer for them. Her name is Amber. Thanks.

I receive emails for Amber's Care pages. And, I'd like to end this post with a quote from Amber's mom. This is how she ended the post where she announced that her daughter's cancer was back. It hit me hard, made me think. Joshua was sitting on the couch and with alligator tears running down my face, I held him tight. Here goes. . .

"Spend a little extra time with your kids tonight.

Read them a book.

Play a game.

Let them have that ice cream before bed.

Let them sleep in the middle.

Let them be little."

Amen.

Go, do it!!!