Do You Know This Child?

As we have been sorting through boxes full of items once belonging to Bryan, we cam across this picture. Bryan has no idea who he is. Do you know?

The boxes in our middle bedroom full of memorabilia from Bryan's childhood and school days are compliments of my in-laws. The cleaned out their attic and fill my house. :-) And they say there's more . . .

Another Death in the Family

Although I have known the news for five days now, I haven't had it in me to alert the masses. Our family has suffered a devastating blow, piercing our hearts in unimaginable ways.

On Sunday, January 10, my first cousin, Curtis (Kirk) Jordan, was found dead in his home, fatally wounded by a gunshot. His death has been ruled a homicide. Visitation will be today at Bordwine Funeral Home in East Tennessee, with the funeral being held tomorrow.

My heart is especially broken for my aunt and uncle. Only four months ago, Aunt Doris lost her brother, my dad, to brain cancer; and now, this--a hurt so much harder.

As of right now, no arrests have been made. There is an on-going investigation. We are begging God for truth--no loopholes or doubts or questions, but knowing the truth of who, when, and why. I'm praying too for the one who pulled the trigger that God would pursue him or her so steadily that he or she would confess, making amends and working towards redemption. Please, please pray with me.

Need Your Help

Can you help me, please?

I am presently working on an article about the top five books every Christian should read (besides the Bible, obviously). Would you list the top five most influential books in your life, and then a 1-2 sentence explanation of how/why each book impacted your life? And if you don't have five, no worries. Just list what you know!

You can reply by clicking "Comments" at the bottom of this post. I need your contributions by noon on Monday, January 11.

And thanks!

Happy Birthday, Dad

January 3rd would have been my dad's 68th birthday. While my relationship with my father was mostly strained, a good friend of mine encouraged me to think about the good memories and moments I had with my dad. So, I tried and came up with this:

• When I had moved out in my first "big girl" apartment, my roommates and I were missing a few kitchen items--okay, a lot of kitchen items. Dad overheard my conversation with my mother about this. I wasn't asking for anything, just joking about our makeshift appliances and what not. Although during this visit, he never sat foot in the same room as me, before I left, a brand new set of cookware was setting on the quilt box in the living room. He had gone to the store and purchased it for me. That meant a lot.
• He taught me "righty tighty, lefty loosey." I still use that to this day.
• He also encouraged me to think critically. While that probably came back to bite him, he did always push me to think what a song, movie, or book was really saying.
• I love Law & Order; so did my dad. He watched detective shows all the time. I watched television with him because that was my time to be with him without chaos. Columbo was one of his favs.
• Dad taught me everything I know about sports--basketball being my fav.
• When he played any kind of board or card game, he always bemoaned, "What to do when you don't know what to do." That always made me laugh.
• When he traveled, he would draw me cartoons on notepads from the hotels where he stayed.
• He played pass the balloon more time than I can count. You know, blow up a balloon and don't let it hit the ground.

T.C.Ew

Preface: I am not trying to make enemies in Fort Worth. :-)

Snuggled up in my FWBBC blanket last night, I watched the Monday night BCS bowl featuring the TCU horned frogs and the BSU broncos. Seeing that I live two blocks from TCU, I thought I should support the hometown troop. Before last night, I had never seen TCU play anything, but had heard heaps about them, especially about their stellar, undefeated season this year. I was prepared to be impressed.

Maybe I'm bad luck. Whew, it was rough.

(I'll try to avoid bad jokes like "they croaked" or "ribbet.")

Now, I have seen my fair share of bad football games--did I mention I'm a die-hard Kentucky fan? But this one was perhaps the most ridiculous BCS football I've ever witnessed. Certainly, it was not all TCU; BSU looked less-than-exceptional on many, many plays. I have pondered all day--how did this happen? Was it truly a powerhouse defensive game, resulting in all those hideous offensive moments? Or, what I suspect to be true, these two teams were not ready for the big stage--playing on the big boys playground. Only a few weeks back, several friends were bemoaning the BSU match-up, saying this was too easy. "Give us Texas. Give us Alabama. Give us Florida." Give me a break.

Maybe TCU will work hard, improve, and be able to swing it in a few years; but from what I saw last night, my only reactions was--Really?