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You  just felt that same feeling that coursed through Charles Lindop as he turned from surfing on the waters of Avalon beach.

It was incomprehensible. My brain couldn’t process the images my eyes were seeing. It was almost like having an out-of-body experience.

DAAAAAAAAAAADDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You turn.  There’s  your 15 year old son.  Surfing on the waters of Sydney?

No.

In the jaws of a massive white shark.

You know, Jaws.

The thing is as tall as you.  Massive.  Grinning its horrible white teeth as it sinks them into his leg.  He hasn’t eaten all day, and he’s going for his meal.

It’s fierce.  Terrible.  Horrendous.

All of the horrible words in the world wrapped into one.

Suddenly you are frozen to your spot.  A second becomes a day.  Your mouth is clammy.  Your muscles taut.  Are your eyes serious?  Are you hallucinating?

And suddenly all you are thinking is that the 5000 lb creature had better let go of your son.

I bet those cowboys who go in there and ride a 2000 lb bull would tell you they’d never want to tackle a 5000 lb shark.

You DO.

You turn into the waters.  Why don’t you run away?  You can’t win the local swimming competition to save your life.

But you could win to save your son’s.  It’s the fastest 75 meters you have ever paddled.

Is it adrenaline?  Is it human instinct?  Is it the love of a parent?  Is it the grotesque daring of the horrible white monster?

What causes a hero to be born at that moment?

I don’t know, but I wonder.  What do you think?  What makes a man, a woman, or a child turn into the danger to face it, fight it, and triumph over it instead of away from it?

Is your heart thumping in your ribs?  Sure it’s thumping.  Is your mind racing?  Sure, you can’t even form a thought if you tried.  Are you afraid?  Sure you’re afraid. But you’re not so afraid that you can’t turn right into those waters and wrestle your son from the jaws of a shark.

At that moment something else becomes more important than your fear.

That’s when courage is born.

That beautiful morning that Charles Lindop took his teenage son Andrew for the adventure of surfing, he never dreamed what was in store for him.

Richard Peltier is another father who fought to save his son David from the jaws of a shark.  He thrust his right hand into the shark’s mouth.  He tried to punch the shark’s mouth open.  It was human vs. monster. Finally  he smacked the shark in the eye. That’s when the shark gave up the fight.  After his son died from the injuries, he sobbed, “I didn’t do enough.”  A witness said he had done everything he could.

Richard Peltier is a hero.

Charles Lindop is a hero too.  His story has a happy ending.  After 4 hr surgery and 9 days in the hospital, Andrew’s ready to go back into the water.

At some point, you have faced fear in your life.  I have.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of failure….Perhaps you are even facing it now.

Your heart pounds.  The shirt you are wearing is dripping with sweat.  Your forehead tightens.  Your eyes are glued in terror.

Did you rise above that?  Did you say “I can”?

When fear met you, was courage born?

Dear You, that is when you triumphed.

Don’t be afraid.  A friend of mine used to say to me over and over, “Let not your heart be troubled, don’t let it be afraid.”

Now I say to you,  ”Don’t let your heart be troubled.”

You can look fear in the eye and say “I Can, but You Can’t.”

You are strong.  You can be courageous.

Love,

M.E.

P.S. Answers to Who Said So?  1. Mother Theresa  2. Nelson Mandela  3. Wayne Gretzky Canadian hockey player  4. Will Rogers  5. Vince Lombardi  6. Mahatma Ghandi   7. Billie Jean King American female tennis player  8. Winston Churchill  9. Yogi Berra NY Yankee Baseball 10.  If you just could not figure this one out, don’t worry, I couldn’t either.  Why?  We don’t know who wrote it.  :)  The answer is: Unknown.

1.  ”If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”

2. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

3. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.”

4.  ”Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

5.  ”Football is like life — it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority”

6. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

7.  ”Champions keep playing until they get it right.”

8. “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”

9. “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

10. “Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching.”

How many can you guess off the top of your head?  (without the helpful aid of a very modern know-it-all, Mr. Google)

Who was the author behind the quote?  I dare ya…be brave and take the quiz.

And then leave a comment and let me know what you think. 

M.E.

When the Forest Service folks give wilderness backpackers a comment card to fill out after their camping trips, I bet they don’t expect these kind of answers.  But they DO get them!

A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call.

Instead of a permit system or regulations, the Forest Service needs to reduce worldwide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness.

I don’t think that’s exactly the kind of job that the Forest Service folks want to take on.

Please avoid building trails that go uphill.

That’s cause you’re in the mountains.  Go west, bud, go west!  It’s all flat out here.  You can hike for miles, and there’s still miles upon miles before you get to the other side of the horizon.

Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests.

I have no words to say.

The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.

Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands.

The places where trails do not exist are not well marked.

Escalators would help on steep uphill sections

Too many rocks in the mountains.

A McDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead.

Hahaha!

“If ponies rode men and grass ate the cows…”

Some things are just a part of experiencing the wild and beautiful…things like bugs and rocks in the mountains and the absence of McDonalds.  There’s nothing like the calm and solitude of the wilderness, even with spiders and the occasional pickle thief.

Some of you are probably wondering what in the world this post is about.

Sometimes it’s just good to laugh.

M.E.

Wow has it been a while!  Much too long.  Somehow the school paperwork mounted, then one of my Folks started acting NOT like himself.  I couldn’t believe it when I would come home and he would be lying there, lethargic, the pain knotting his forehead.  Then a long time of searching.  What in the world was wrong with him?  An MRI.  Brain surgery?  What?? No!  Meningitis then?  Chemical meningitis?  What in the world is the difference between chemical and bacterial???  Yes, it turned out that’s what it was.

He’s OK, he made it.  He still has the occasional headache, pain in the neck, but he’s alright, glory be!

Which brings me to the real reason why I backed off from writing.  I realized I always ended up writing about myself, and when I started this blog, my original purpose was not to make a diary of my life, but instead to share with you stories about people like Nick and Katie (Amazing Love in Feb) and Joseph (Joseph; Like a Rock in Feb).  And then I read the story of a woman whose story should be told around the world.

Everywhere she steps foot, eyes follow her.  She walks through the supermarket, heads turn.  She enters the room, and she is the central point.  Folks who have lost self esteem… who feel insecure

who at home were staring in the mirror wishing they could afford cosmetic surgery…

who have NO self-confidence now that some rude insecure bully cut them down with a comment,  turn curious eyes towards her.   They jump down to the kid shoes she’s wearing as they give her the full scope of a look-over.

That is, until a face that lights up with friendly smile steps in front of them, and a thin skeleton hand softly touches their arm, while the other presents a card, and a friendly voice says kindly,

“Honey, maybe you should stop staring and start learning.”

Learn that what’s inside matters the most.

Learn that if you are going to be beautiful, be you!

Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of strength?

Age 23. Weight:  60 lbs.  Size: triple zero clothes.

She’s a tiny woman, with the powers of Superwoman.

You can fly anywhere with her cape of confidence.  And one day she decided to step out and write the the big “S” in front.

Miss Lizzie Velasquez wrote a book about her life story.

You see, it goes something like this, four weeks early, mom Rita and father Lupe welcomed a little girl into this world.  Weight: 2 1b, 10 oz, and she was so adorably tiny they had to dress her in doll clothes.  She lacked in adipose.  Adipose, that helps you gain body fat.  She is 1 of 3 people in the world with this condition.  At age 4 she went blind in one brown eye.  She eats every 15 minutes to keep up her energy.  Insulted by cyber bullies.  And everywhere she goes, she meets stares.   This  woman, bound and determine to succeed, went  to Texas State and is now a senior, close to graduating.  (I’m happy she’s Texan born, Texan bred!  Like me    )

Her new book was released today!  It’s called appropriately Be Beautiful, Be You.

And this woman has been called the World’s Ugliest Woman.

Whoever came up with that must have been looking in the mirror at themselves.

This is a woman with a heart of gold, with a maturity that few people ever have.

She eats 60 meals a day, and she gets excited when she “gains even one pound.”

“I’m human, of course these things are going to hurt. But, I’m not going to let those things define me. At the end of the day, these are just words. If they are so proud, then they should show their face. I feel I’m really glad I don’t look like the celebrities out there who are beautiful, because there are a lot of stereotypes attached to that.”

Wow, wow wow WOW!!!

When did we start being a society of America’s Next Top Model, instead of being a society where decency is valued, where beauty is found in the way you treat your neighbor?  That maturity is found when you treat someone with respect, with dignity?

I remember reading that wanted sign down by the old abandoned cabin.  There was a creek flowing there.

Wanted: (it said) more people to inspire others and fewer to throw cold water on them.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, does it ring a bell?  The Golden Rule, maybe?

Dear you, if they say you look ugly, they just aren’t worth it.  I mean, look whose really being ugly here?

If you worry constantly about yourself…if you just feel constantly insecure:

• Say, “hey, yeah, I feel insecure, I’ve got bad acne, I’m just nerdy…” just admit it to yourself that you do feel insecure!
• When someone says something mean,  well, ever heard of that poem that goes:  Oh, a trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce, or at trouble is what you make it, And it isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts, But only how did you take it?
• Wow, I just can’t help it, I’m going to have to quote the rest of that poem.  You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what’s that?  Come up with a smiling face.  It’s nothing against you to fall down flat,  But to lie there — that’s disgrace.  The harder you’re thrown, why the higher you bounce;  Be proud of your blackened eye!  It isn’t the fact that you’re licked that counts,  It’s how did you fight –  and why?
• You are NOT inferior.  I repeat, you are NOT inferior!  You are good at something(s).  You have a strength(s) that makes you unique from every other person on this planet!!!
• You are a lucky person!!  Smile because you are.  I remember a classmate who always had a smile, ALWAYS.  Everyone liked to have Cole around because Cole was like sunshine in the room.  Sure he jogged the entire campus every morning at 8, but wow did he work out his smile muscles everyday!!  Actually, I’m sure mine could use a little exercising.  :-)
• “Whenever I feel afraid, I hold my head up high, and whistle a happy tune, and nobody knows I’m afraid!” You ever heard of that song?
• Do what is right!   Young Johnny the cyberbully out there might not agree, but does it really matter what some random Johnny thinks?  at least you know where you stand.
• Hold the door open for the person behind you, say “thank you”  …

Dear you, meet Miss Lizzie, who is an amazing woman.

and her wonderfully supportive family.

Be beautiful, be you!

It’s so good to be back.  Go and BUY THE BOOK!  and be inspired!

xoxoxo,

M.E.

Who knows…you may even land on the moon…

Sure, he has his critics.  Everyone does.  You have yours.  I have mine.  He has his.

But that does not seem to matter to him.

You can’t.  Of course you can’t.  There’s no way he can….There were so many people that said he could not do what he set out to do.  And he said not to pay attention to the “people that say you can’t, because those are the people who never could.”

If you have a passion, and you have a dream, and someone dares to tell you that there’s no way you could ever do that…

maybe they are the ones that need to evaluate who has their priorities straight.

You can if you will…you won’t if you can’t.

He may be famous the world over…

but it has not changed him.  He’s genuine.  He’s real.  He has his faults, his quirks, he has his strengths, he’s competitive, he’s funny, he has a way of telling stories that makes everyone laugh…he has a passion for what he does…

And he said, that in the end, he wanted his legacy to be known as “someone that’s made an impact on kids’ lives.”

That’s how he wants to have an impact.  In the end, will all of the other stuff that keeps the news in a frenzy about him really matter?

No.  In the end, what matters is that some little child who was brought to a Philippine orphanage in a small cardboard box was gathered into the arms of someone who loved her, was given food to eat, a special home to live in, a chance to live life like a child should.

Before her only chance was a small cardboard box…Now opportunities for her have no limit…they soar sky high with possibilities!

He finished by saying, “You never know when you’re in your fourth quarter, when you’re in your two-minute drill, so let’s try to finish strong now.”

For a gal who had an uncle play on NFL defense …touchdown!  This really hits it home for me.

My uncle is a strong person…he’s a strong person physically, but he’s also a strong person within as well.

Recently my uncle’s brother died.

My uncle is grieving.

He spoke quieter…the twinkle in his eye was no longer there….when I last went to see him….

he was missing the brother who played alongside both him and another brother on defense and helped lead their college team  (ironically my school’s hated rivals) to the National Championship two years in a row…his brother has scores of honors to his credit…first round draft pick of Tampa Bay Bucs…six-time All Pro…NFL hall of fame…etc etc…

But to my uncle, this man is the brother stood alongside him not only on the field but off the field…he is the dearly-loved little brother who suddenly passed away…and who my uncle is missing deeply…

….but he still kindly asked me what was in the works in my life for next fall.  My uncle is such a strong person.

So is Mr. Speaker.

Whoever you may be, you can be a strong person!

And by strong I don’t mean bullying and trying to control everyone in your pathway (remember, true strength may bring about power, but power does not bring about true strength), I mean strength as in…

knowing you have weaknesses but that you are trying to do the right thing…making a difference in the lives of those around you…

being secure and satisfied in who you are…and that means being genuine, being real.   A fake person is like someone who is caked in stage makeup, you’re left wondering whose really underneath????????????

Finish strong.

By this time, some of you are probably guessing the man behind the words.

Go ahead and try!  You’re probably right.

Whether you like him or not,  no one can argue that what he said is not important to all of us.  It is!   How are we making an impact?  What if this is your two minute drill?

Was it awesome to sit there and  hear him speak, candidly, about his life, his experiences, his beliefs, his passion for what he does?  Yup, sure was!

I was inspired by his stories…his words…his life…

Make someone else in your life inspired by yours.  

M.E.

A blessed Easter to all of you!  Hope it was a glorious day filled with sunshine, joy, and hope…hope you were able to squeeze in an Easter egg hunt or take a deep breath and enjoy the sunshine and the  lilies.  Hope you were reminded of what is most important on this day:  the love of an Almighty God who sent his only begotten Son to suffer on the cross and then rose from the grave so that we might live and celebrate Easter today.

Happy Easter 2012!

M.E.

P.S. The above is an excerpt from “Road to Happiness, Short Story,” which can be found on the main page of the blog.

There are times when we wish we were in another place.  In another time.   We wish we had the ultimate circumstance.

Take for instance, my folks and I.  Due to some circumstances about the place in which we live, my folks have been searching for another place.

They love the house where they live.

But there are some things about it that are–let’s put it this way, really inconvenient.

Cars covered in dirt.  Everytime my nana would come over, she would wipe off the mantel and say,

“Where is the Endust?”

“Uh, we just dusted that before you came, Nana.”

“Really?” (swiping a finger through the dust)

That’s what you get when you are surrounded by fields and you live in the windiest region in the United States.

So my folks met with a realtor, who was beyond fantastic.

They had their list of qualifications.

But there is not a place in the area where they are wanting to live that meets most of their qualifications…

except for one.

And that is where they are living right now.

Which is rather ironic, huh?

Have they ever considered that they might actually be living in the right place? 

So often we become dissatisfied about where we are at in life.

When our ideal is really sitting right before our very eyes.

Sometimes we miss out on it because it is right beneath us, and we are looking ahead, straining in the distance to find it.

It is not that we aren’t looking hard enough.   It is that we are living it and we don’t realize it.

Do you live in a “house,” like my folks, and meanwhile are writing up the list of what you really wish you had?  There are many areas of our life…take for instance, relationships.

I wish he would not pick his teeth after every meal.  (I believe that I would have zero tolerance for someone who did this, it so grosses me out)

He likes the fan going full blast at night.  I’m not surprised then that he steals the covers, but this is really starting to get on my nerves.  (get two pairs of sheets)

 When I find her, she’s gonna like so-in-so on so-in-so show… (boy meets a girl)  I like her, but I was hoping for someone who looked like…(yes, I know, like so-in-so on so-in-so show, and sir, you are really a hopeless case)

He always sleeps when he gets home from work…What is he doing now?  What? He’s sleeping, again? (My mom’s favorite.)

Is he bugging you like crazy?  Or are you expecting her to be perfect?

Nobody’s perfect.  Do not put up with stupidity, but do not lust after perfection. 

If you want him to be that way, or he wants you to change to suit his list of the “ideal house qualifications” because you yourself are not fine enough to suit him, then two somebodies somewhere have their sights set a little high…

more like, terribly high.

Just saying….

Somebody has created the “ideal house qualification list.”

And somebody’s “ideal house” is sleeping at their side every night.

This post should really begin with ‘Dear M.E.’   Because in some ways, I am really writing this post to myself.

My journal right now is reading the following:

(I choke a little when I read those two entries.  How come it took me a day to get that smart?)

What a word to try to live, especially in today’s “fast-food, get-rich-quick, work-from-your couch, look-it-up-online” world that we live in.  Self-gratification cultivated and rewarded everywhere.  I’ll be the first to admit that I have been swallowed into it.

Dear M.E., in all of that, remember two things.  Just two things.

Spectacular happiness isn’t real.

Contented happiness is.

It is real as the milk sitting in your refrigerator.

Or the eggs.

Or whatever you’ve got in your refrigerator.

Love,

M.E.

P.S. Is the moving van parked in my folk’s driveway?  Nope.  Looks like they’re stuck there for a while…more like a long time.  She convinced them they didn’t need to move.