To my beloved son

Sometimes I’m moved to really love a song the very first time I hear it.  I still remember the very first time I heard Chris Tomlin’s “I Will Rise”.  I was driving along the highway and nearly had to pull off the road because of the tears and the overwhelming urge to raise my hands high in praise.

But more often I’ll barely notice a new song the first few times I hear it.  Then a phrase will catch my ear and I’ll think, “That’s cool.”  Then at some point after having heard it many times that same song will hit me right square in the heart.  It happened a few weeks ago with ”Rise” by Shawn McDonald.

Hey!  Maybe there’s a rising-above-all-these-troubles-and-trials theme developing here…

Well it happened again this morning with “Every Time You Run” by Manifest.  I’ve heard it several times already.  And a phrase or two had caught my attention.  But this morning the message of the song nailed my heart to the wall cross.

My God!  Even right now as I read through these lyrics and listen to this song tears are running down my face.

I love you, Wes.  I love you my precious, beloved son. 

Manifest – “Every Time You Run”

Last night got a little crazy
I don’t remember, woke up spun with the pasties
My friends say I was tweaked out,
Passed out on a dirty coach, still in the house
It kind a scares me, I don’t know
Am out of control, always waking up still in my clothes
I wrote a note that said goodbye to pain, good bye to shame
But couldn’t find a way, I just cry for days
I’m so depressed, soak in wet, I can’t rest
These thoughts just beat me to death I’m un-kept
I thought of a song my mom used to sing in church
But it’s been so long I can’t remember the words

Chorus (Jesus):
Every time you run, every time you hide
Every time it hurts, every time you cry
Every time you run away, every time you hide your face
And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you

I keep sleeping in don’t want to wake up
I keep hearing from the landlord pay up
Hide my face in my pillow till the sunsets
Hung over and I haven’t seen a pay check
I took a job downtown at the factory
I was hired and fired with no salary
I keep running from responsibility
It’s seems impossible, the pressure is hitting me
I know I need to man up, or sit down
Stand up and get out of this crowd
I thought of a song my mom used to sing in church
But it’s been so long I can’t remember the words

Chorus (Jesus):
Every time you run, every time you hide
Every time it hurts, every time you cry
Every time you run away, every time you hide your face
And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you

Well I know I’m not ready to die, But I’ve
Sure thought about the meaning of life
Cause I can’t seem to find a purpose for me
It’s just the choices and I fail to proceed
I got a “get up, get up, get up, get up
Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up
I hear voices in my mind, ones a devil, ones Jesus
I can feel it can you help me find the pieces
Like an angel on my shoulder, you hold the
Joy of the lord raising up a soldier
You gave me the song my mom used to sing in church
I promised not to quit and I remembered the words
I promised not to quit and I remembered the words

Chorus (Jesus):
Every time you run, every time you hide
Every time it hurts, every time you cry
Every time you run away, every time you hide your face
And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you

I promised not to quit and I remembered the words
I promised not to quit and I remembered the words

And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you

Now THIS is REALLY living !!!!!

My soon-to-be-6-year-old grandson got an oversized blowup baseball bat at a local festival.  Naturally, it became the latest of his secret weapons whose sole purpose is to destroy Papaw.  We took turns beating each other all over the house with it this weekend. 

:-)

At one point he was wailing on me with it while I was looking in the refrigerator for some needed fuel to continue the battle.  He was pounding away kind of like the boy in the Volkswagen commercial.

He paused just long enough to say, "Now THIS is REALLY living !!!!" 

...then continued wailing on me with his secret-weapon-specially-designed-to-destroy-Papaw.

HAhahahahahaha !!!!!!!!

If he only knew how powerfully true that sentiment was in my heart at that exact moment ...

Pride Alert !!!!

We attended the White Coat Ceremony for our daughter's entrance into the Pharmacy program at the University of Kentucky Friday at the Singletary Center for the Arts.  What a lovely ceremony !!!!!!!

We are so very proud of our baby girl !!!!!!!

After the ceremony we had dinner with her, her roommate, and her roommate's family.  It was a lovely day and evening.

Thank You, Lord, for Your many, many blessings on our family !!!!!!!


By the way, my baby girl makes fun of me for using so many excalation points.  :-)

Moving my Baby Girl Tomorrow ...

I'm so proud of my baby girl !!!!!

After only 3 years of undergraduate work she has been accepted into one of the top pharmacy schools in the country at the University of Kentucky.  Moving her to Lexington tomorrow.  Her White Coat Ceremony is next Friday.

So. Very. Proud.

I told her she was going to have to get a cat or something, though, because I'm keeping her dog.

Yea, right !!!!!

Outstanding !!!

That's my girl !!!!!!!

She DOES own the Net!

I finally got to watch Brittany play tennis this season. In a doubles match that may preview the regional championship match, my daughter and her partner lost in the tie-breaker.

But she did "OWN" the net!

You go, girl!

By the way, if my daughter heard me say, "You go, girl!", she would tell me in a most patronizing tone to never, ever say that again.

She "OWNS" at the Net!

I hadn't been able to watch my daughter, Brittany, play tennis this season until last night. We had talked about some of her matches. She told me the night before she and her partner were down four games to love in their doubles match. They came back to win the match 6 games to 4!

She said, "I owned at the net!"

That is so cool!

I didn't even know they had a match last night. I thought she was supposed to have practice. I was preparing to mow the lawn when I found out it was an actual match. I had her to call me when it was her turn to play.

When I checked my cell phone, I had two missed calls from Brittany. I rode my lawn mower to the park to watch her play (My car was with her at the park). By the time I got there the match was already nearly over. Brittany and her partner were up 6 games to love. Apparantly, in a district match at her level of play, they play 8-game matches instead of 6-game matches. So I got to see her play the last two games.

Yep, she OWNS at the net!