tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12869675879153937502024-03-14T08:02:00.089-07:00K-Rob's WorldK-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-56041391970419167922023-09-13T12:45:00.000-07:002023-09-13T12:45:24.836-07:00Only the Good Die Young<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySeRWRG_pIprSS91MnbXLqFlhZEIB99EXCtDgaYlghWxf9RkUEdGgJrDTRLeGHLF2Jow-pH-8e_6rAy5Vv6Or0MlX2jO4Gpxm2_jVjxHb9zbUS6yjAp9MF3LRlnIG2Os_zuQznZa-oayVYFG8WEh233iD_fAAVPMmhNFy5Yb-uqA5Z8KIHfOMhivGdsU/s686/JohnJoeyWillMe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="686" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySeRWRG_pIprSS91MnbXLqFlhZEIB99EXCtDgaYlghWxf9RkUEdGgJrDTRLeGHLF2Jow-pH-8e_6rAy5Vv6Or0MlX2jO4Gpxm2_jVjxHb9zbUS6yjAp9MF3LRlnIG2Os_zuQznZa-oayVYFG8WEh233iD_fAAVPMmhNFy5Yb-uqA5Z8KIHfOMhivGdsU/s320/JohnJoeyWillMe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>I don’t necessarily believe the title of this blog but it’s
a phrase I have heard often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know a
lot of people who have lived to be very old that were wonderful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today is the 23<sup>rd</sup> anniversary of my
Father’s death. Although he has been gone over two decades, I can still hear
his voice in my head and I hope that never changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a great example of how to be a good
person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was good to Mama, me and
Travis, his own Mama and Deddy, his brothers, Mema Cameron and the rest of his
family and friends. He was only 48 when he died and it seems like his death was
a few years ago in some ways, but it seems like a lifetime ago at the same
time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Last week, John Patterson passed away from a year-long
battle with liver cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To everyone, John
was truly a good person in his own right. He will be missed by his family,
friends and coworkers alike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
outpouring of support for his family, the wonderful memories that were shared,
and the acknowledgment of his accomplishments throughout his life were all
indicative of what a great person he really was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was honored to be asked to be a pallbearer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been asked a few times in my life to be
a pallbearer and it’s honestly a very humbling experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Standing around and talking with the other
pallbearers reminded me of how much John was loved and respected.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>The fact that he was so young certainly made the funeral
sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it wasn’t as sad as I
expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not because he won’t be
missed. Not because his family, coworkers, church and the world in general
doesn’t need him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was because you sat
there and realized how much life he packed into 48 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was an accomplished athlete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He excelled at football in high school and in
college he was a star on the track and field team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His buddy Moose said he could throw the
“hammer” like it was a golf club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
told a story of going to a competition one time when John was at NC State.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His main competitor for that year wound up,
spun around 3 hard times and let the hammer fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When John took his turn, he spun ONE time and
threw the hammer way beyond his competitor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Moose asked him afterwards, “Why didn’t you spin 3 times like the other
guy?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John said, “I didn’t have
to.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the “Most Outstanding
Player” for the NC State track and field team in 1997 and won the ACC
Championship, setting an ACC record that stood for 2 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve known John for over 22 years and he
never mentioned that one time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know
why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t have to.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>John was a smart guy and he was the KING of trivia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew more random facts than anyone I ever
met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had the same sarcastic sense of
humor and some of the texts he sent me were honestly some of the funniest
things I’ve ever read in my life. He worked with Farm Credit for over 25 years and
was very well respected among his co-workers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t know how many co-workers came to the funeral, but it’s safe to
say it seemed like it was everyone that John had ever worked with.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>John was completely devoted to his family and friends. Him and Georgia Lee were married 20 years and
dated several years before that. He loved Georgia Lee and she was by his side
from the beginning until the very end.
Someone said to me last week…. ”I’m going to tell you what, Georgia Lee
is tough as nails.” You damn right she is.
John loved being a father and loved Leah
Grace with all his heart. He always referred to her as his “mini me” and he got
that right. He had a great relationship
with his father, mother and sister. He
was always fun to be around at any family event. You could count on John to say something
funny. And although he was often
pointing out the obvious, the way he would say things would be hysterical. I had the utmost respect for John Patterson. And
to honor him, I did something I have never done in my entire. I wore an NC State tie to his funeral. I’ve never worn ANYTHING NC State in my entire
life!!! And if you are reading this and are
a Dook fan, don’t get any ideas. My
hypocrisy only goes so far.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>John found out last fall that he had liver cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deddy found out in the fall of 1999 that he
had liver cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John went through
several efforts of treatment for as long as it showed some progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deddy did the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John stood up the day he passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deddy was walking around the day before he
passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John and Deddy both lived
about a year with cancer and both died at 48.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Georgia Lee probably doesn’t know this, but she is the same age as my
mother, 46, when Deddy passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were so many similarities that I had to make an effort to keep it
together emotionally when I was around John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To the very end, both of them lived life to the fullest, enjoyed family
and friends and were faithful to their Lord and Savior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still miss Deddy every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’m going to miss John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure why people like them have to die
so young. But a short life, well-lived is a lot better than a long life, wasted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John and Deddy got all they could out of life….and
they will both always be missed by everyone that loved them.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Timothy 4:7,8<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: black;">I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup> </sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></p><br /><p></p>K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-50298701237283547692021-11-22T07:48:00.000-08:002021-11-22T07:48:03.257-08:00The First Day of the Rest of My Life<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrUuZg0n0VOUrs3zQWVv0m98VK3IC-f1ivz9l8yLjAf5hjCTzqIlpGq_qQ0keQJ5e2FRSGyenqHlyrftxkX-YeYEAPRuL_6gGJf29URMVvNycSxqd2JX5yEYT-6yzy4vovjHlhAEu3bs/s1033/MeatBobsStore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1033" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrUuZg0n0VOUrs3zQWVv0m98VK3IC-f1ivz9l8yLjAf5hjCTzqIlpGq_qQ0keQJ5e2FRSGyenqHlyrftxkX-YeYEAPRuL_6gGJf29URMVvNycSxqd2JX5yEYT-6yzy4vovjHlhAEu3bs/w400-h320/MeatBobsStore.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today is just an ordinary day for most
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, some people are
celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, or some other significant milestone in
their life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many people got up today and
went to work, or school, or had a cup of coffee as they enjoy retirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For most people, today has no real
significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, today means a lot
more to me than that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What a life I have had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve had highs that took me into the
stratosphere, lows that I would like to forget, but most of the days of my life
have been a normal routine of some sort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve achieved a number of things in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a member of the 1991 Western Harnett
Baseball team that won the triangle 3A conference championship for central
North Carolina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a doubt, this
was the greatest high school baseball team that ever existed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t believe me, just ask me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>High School was four really good years and gave
me a solid foundation for the rest of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was elected Student Body President my senior year and I was always
grateful that my fellow students elected me. My lifelong dream of going to UNC-Chapel Hill began in the fall of 1991.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had to study HARD to get through. I pulled all-nighters like it was
nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent MANY nights in the
library and study rooms pounding away in the books. In May of 1995, I
graduated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My entire family came to the
graduation and it was a wonderful day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was not sure what I wanted to do for a career but I soon found myself selling
real estate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first really successful
project I worked on was a condo project in Raleigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a 4-month stretch, I sold 36 condos and I
was winning an award almost every month at the Triangle Sales and Marketing
meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was talking to my father on a
Monday during that time and he asked me, “Did you sell a condo this
weekend?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I responded, “I actually sold
6.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He laughed and said, “Really, did
you sell one?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I responded, “No,
I really did sell 6.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was astonished
but proud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not long after I had really gained some
success selling real estate in the Raleigh market, we found out Deddy had
cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an instant, my life
changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not bear the thought of
him not having a lot of help as he went through treatment and was still trying
to keep his company going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I came
home and dedicated myself to helping him in every way I could. To be honest,
I’m still handling things now that were left when he passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t regret that fact, because it has made
me the person I am now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Deddy
passed away, I not only sold real estate locally, but I started building
houses. Honestly, I really enjoyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did that until the world ended for many of us home builders in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two years that followed were almost
impossible to survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My greatest professional accomplishment was
making it through that time period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had 8 houses under construction when the economy collapsed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually still have 2 of them now! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking back, I don’t how I made it through
and I don’t know how I didn’t have a nervous breakdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth is, during that time, there was one
set of footprints in the sand, and the Lord carried me a really long way. I am
overwhelmed with gratefulness when I consider that time of my life.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span> </span>In 2010, I took a new job with Liberty Tire
and that gave me very different </span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">opportunities.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I have traveled ALL OVER the United States.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I’ve seen some awesome places.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">But when my primary job was selling tires, I
also saw the worst of America.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I’ve been
in some of the most beautiful places such as Salt Lake City, the warmest places
like Florida in the summer, the coldest places like Minnesota in the winter,
and the roughest places like Detroit.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I’ve met people from almost every race, creed and religion.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I’ve honestly met some of the nicest people
that are completely not like me at all. I had a conversation with a Muslim one
week and a Chaldean Christian the next week, both from the middle east.
Although both conversations with me were calm and respectful, I realized from
talking to each of them why there has always been so much fighting in that
region of the world.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">There is no
compromise in their beliefs and in my opinion, they will never be able to gain
a truly peaceful, mutual existence.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In my personal life, I have so many wonderful
things to be grateful for, it’s hard to keep up with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maria and I have been married for 20 years
and she is finally starting to realize that I am always right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have 2 nieces and 2 nephews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All four have unique personalities that I
really enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are all really
smart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve watched Andrew grow up
playing football and basketball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kaitlyn
loves to dance, and if I continue teaching her some of my classic dance moves, she
will be a truly great dancer!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Brooklyn is 6 years old and she has not stopped talking for 6 years now,
using a vocabulary that Daniel Webster would be proud of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve helped my brother, Travis, coach soccer,
basketball and baseball since Colton was 4. Colton is great kid to coach. He
does everything we ask him to do and I try to convey to him my confidence and remind
him that I’m proud of him just for giving his best effort. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the three sports, we just wrapped up
our 20th season coaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have had
some terrific teams and I have had the good fortune to coach a bunch of great
kids. We have won 7 Championships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Travis is the X’s and 0’s coach, and I’m the motivator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can make a kid believe in themselves even
when they might not be the most talented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s important to me, because all kids have different skill levels.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a family, we have also been through some
significant challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have lost a
lot of loved ones over the years. Mama found out some years ago that she had
esophageal cancer. She went through chemo and radiation at the same time. Then
a MAJOR surgery and a month in the hospital. After all of that, she pulled
through. She had to endure a lot, but she did not give up. That was not even an
option. We rallied around her with encouragement, support and love. Mema
Cameron was also diagnosed with lymphoma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But after an optimistic prognosis, she had her treatments and also fully
recovered!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a family, we were so
grateful for the blessing that both of them made it through such serious health
challenges.</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I still love to play golf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still cannot beat Uncle Boyd but other than
him, there is really nobody as good as me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I always feel bad when grown men cry from the ass kicking they have to
endure when we play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suck it up
buttercups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to fish, although I
don’t have time to do that much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
neighbor walked into my yard during the pandemic in 2020 and GAVE me a 28 foot pontoon boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were buying a new one
and didn’t want to go through the trouble of selling it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, for no reason at all, they gave me their
old one!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to read a lot now,
grill out, keep my yard looking good, make wine, and put up Christmas
decorations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My family has always loved
Christmas and I have made many of the decorations that we have used through the
years. I think that Charlie Brown should be made a saint. Although a cartoon
character, his life is indicative of mine in a lot of ways. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I plan to enjoy life as much as I can as often
as I can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to enjoy spending time
with family, friends and loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
appreciate those around you during the good times, but you are grateful for
them during the challenges of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
look forward to new opportunities that may come along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always tried to make the most of
everything I’ve done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to
continue to grow my faith and pray for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You may not be able to do anything for someone going through a hardship,
but you can always pray for them and the people around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHutPneHo0cobJG4FMBN8COL4tq8XHf9Hv5wzP__ricaquJ4xadb58W24ItOs6c_orp8-v7H9AJfX1SpJupHkm2wbdynGp2ksCye7mthjdADb6kkt6s3wgI8P5hWj-gNW82MCZowNjcs/s2048/MeattheBeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFYkwl57z1xQP16EEhmtmN-P_SZzRL0dUta9L8w2shmYahp8XY1c1_xikRPUlXIAc24MHcdGTdJm41qqGQx1dDPN2pJ-gJNcSD_o2xnG60XrNDjaSi9NcJUy9olLcBSEYshkjsKj8nLY/s2048/MeattheBeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFYkwl57z1xQP16EEhmtmN-P_SZzRL0dUta9L8w2shmYahp8XY1c1_xikRPUlXIAc24MHcdGTdJm41qqGQx1dDPN2pJ-gJNcSD_o2xnG60XrNDjaSi9NcJUy9olLcBSEYshkjsKj8nLY/w400-h300/MeattheBeach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today should be a normal day, but it’s not for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, today at 1:30, I was the
exact same age as my father when he died, to the minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve thought about this day a lot over the
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How would I feel? Why should I be
blessed with a longer life than he had? What would my thoughts be? I’m
optimistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m hopeful. I’m grateful. I
know the world is changing and I know there is a lot of stress and acrimony throughout
society. But I’m not going to be a person that focuses on the negative aspects
of the world. I don’t want to become someone that only says or post things on
social media that are negative or hateful in some way. I see that as a
miserable existence, and I don’t want my life to be like that. For those people
to truly see what is wrong in this world, all they need is a mirror. I’m going
to enjoy my life and do everything I can to help my family and friends enjoy
theirs. I’m going to congratulate people for achievements and support them
during hardships. I’m going to ball games, birthday parties, weddings, and gatherings
with friends and family. And I’m going to be grateful….because today is the
first day of the rest of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><br /><p></p>K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-53401856457877889482020-09-13T15:51:00.001-07:002020-09-13T16:14:05.216-07:00A Year to Forget<p><span class="TextRun SCXW241010083 BCX0" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span> </span><span> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVr7aG1_JKETpuCZqWjIihmC8veXMW2sszbID0WmfGfejz0s9tbEmLMqZIr8rsCA6ULvxTzkPAYw3jw1mpthhu_wa3ePAj2P5pgsc9wChLY7qHmz55HKtNfwCwFIcxXLUjYsrHol_93Ic/s1345/DeddyMuffin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="1009" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVr7aG1_JKETpuCZqWjIihmC8veXMW2sszbID0WmfGfejz0s9tbEmLMqZIr8rsCA6ULvxTzkPAYw3jw1mpthhu_wa3ePAj2P5pgsc9wChLY7qHmz55HKtNfwCwFIcxXLUjYsrHol_93Ic/w300-h400/DeddyMuffin.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><br /><div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{167}" paraid="1963947068" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">This year has already proven to be a year that many of us would like to forget. COVID-19 has evolved into one of the most problematic viruses in our lifetime. We have had to change the way we travel, visit, work, and just go through our daily routines. Almost 200,000 Americans have died from the Coronavirus and we are all just tired of it.</span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{167}" paraid="1963947068" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{171}" paraid="1205409683" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Dissension in the United States is at an </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">all time</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> high. I don’t remember as many controversial situations existing at one time as there are now. So many people are filled with anger and rage. You can’t have an opinion without offending someone, and the time for listening to each other and being reasonable is long gone. We now live in the “Divided States of America” and for most of us, that is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">really sad</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">. I still believe in my 80% rule. 80% of every color, creed, religion </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">etc.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">, can get along with 80% of every other group that’s different in some way. But the 20% in every group is often louder, unwilling to compromise, and no longer feel that having respect for others is relevant. I honestly believe that if you only had the 80% of us that were reasonable in every category or group, you would eliminate 99% of the problems in America.</span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{171}" paraid="1205409683" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{187}" paraid="1088815079" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">It astonishes me that so many people have forgotten that we are a democracy. The same people that use the words socialism, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">marxism</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">, racism or fascism will berate someone for having a different opinion while claiming to support a democratic society. And don’t make the mistake of thinking its only one group that does this, there are people in both parties and all groups that do it. In the world we live in today, it’s easier to find a reason to be angry than to be reasonable. That is something that I will never understand.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{187}" paraid="1088815079" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{191}" paraid="2121372233" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">For the first time in my life, I lost a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">really good</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> friend of mine. When the coronavirus caused everyone to be on lockdown for a while, I spent more time working from home that I have in 10 years. One </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">year in particular, I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> was on the road for 48 out of the 52 weeks during that year. During this lockdown, I got to know my neighbor Art better than I ever have. If he saw me outside doing almost anything, he was in my yard within 30 seconds! We tore a golf cart apart that I’m still working on, he helped me work on my truck, lawn mower, and boat motor. We would discuss what was going on in the world almost every evening. We went fishing one evening during the middle of June. We caught some fish, laughed, told stories etc. When we got home, I told him one last story and he was walking out of my yard laughing and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” The next morning when I took Charlie out, there was an ambulance in the yard. I went over to see what was going on and walked in the front door. I asked his wife Elaine what was going on and she just responded, “He’s gone.” I was in complete shock. 62 years old, he had just signed up for Social Security, had probably been in the best mood for 3 months that I had ever seen and just like that, he’s gone. As I am putting that golf cart back together, I think of him often. Several people asked me, “Can you get that golf cart back together?” I would always respond, “No, but Art can!” His wife asked me to do his eulogy and his Mother told me he had 2 best friends in his entire life, a good friend he grew up with named “Roosevelt” and me. His brother Sean told me that every time he talked to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Art,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> he would mention doing something with “Robbie.” I’m glad we spent the time we did together those last 3 months. Art told me numerous times that as he got to know people in the area, he would always tell them that he lived beside me. He said he was surprised that very often when he did that, they would respond by talking about what a great guy my father was. Art mentioned to me several times that he regretted never meeting Deddy.</span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{191}" paraid="2121372233" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{207}" paraid="727163311" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">My mother’s health has declined again this year. It was determined that she had a critically low copper level. I never even knew that could even be an issue at all. After some infusions, her levels are back to normal so hopefully she will start to see some improvement sooner than later. </span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{207}" paraid="727163311" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{217}" paraid="1203696049" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">My father’s best friend, Mike McNeil passed away a few weeks ago. Mike came to see Deddy often while he battled cancer. After Deddy passed away, he would call every few months to check on everyone and make sure things were going ok. Although I regretted hearing about Mike’s passing, I am sure that Deddy was waiting for him when he arrived in Heaven. A story I told a few weeks ago about Mike was when Mama had surgery for esophageal cancer, she had a major setback about 2 weeks into recovery. Mike called me that night about 9:00. I explained to him the situation and that the circumstances were serious. He said, “I’ll see you tomorrow about 12:00.” The irony was that he lived in Florida. But the next day, about 12:00, Mike and his wife walked in. When I was born, Mama was in labor from Christmas Eve until the 26</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 8.5pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun Superscript SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-fontsize="11" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> of December. It was probably because my head was the same size when I was born as it is now! But for years, Mike called me or texted me on my birthday. I asked him a few years ago, how he always remembered my birthday and he explained to me that he was at the hospital with Deddy during the entire labor. I had never known that before. </span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{217}" paraid="1203696049" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{225}" paraid="1010582625" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Today marks 20 years since Deddy died. I still miss him as much as I ever did. I regret that he is not at Little League games with us, not golfing with us on Sundays, not at Uncle Boyd’s Christmas party and not there to offer patient, constructive advice. But I don’t miss the fact that he cannot see the bad in this world. I hope he cannot see the anger, the acrimony, and lack of respect that many people have for each other. I honestly don’t know where we go from here. No matter how bad things are, I think we would all like to know there is a brighter future on the horizon. I have friends from all walks of life. They have different religious views, are a different race, different political views, or have other differences in one way or another. But although I may not be exactly like them or even agree with them, I can still respect them. Sometimes, its ok to agree to disagree. That’s something that I think we really need to get back to. This era of forcing your beliefs on others is not working and all you have to do is turn on any news channel and you’ll realize how right I am. My father set a great example for Travis and myself by being kind to people, showing compassion, and especially practicing forgiveness. </span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{225}" paraid="1010582625" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180387646" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180387646 BCX0" paraeid="{c288cf73-e18e-40fc-8478-ce90d76abed8}{233}" paraid="1250515843" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Although I miss my father, I’m glad he doesn’t have to watch hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, catastrophic fires, riots and anger gradually destroy the Earth. I feel better knowing that he is on the other side welcoming his family and friends that pass away. I’m sure Art finally met him. I know he and Mike were glad to see each other again. And I’m glad he is in a much better place than the world we live today. </span><span class="EOP SCXW180387646 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div></div>K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-49736097242265058062020-04-12T17:32:00.000-07:002020-04-13T09:21:50.555-07:00This Easter is Different<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieinGaQFddpspNcaWY9s8aUy-HVBL1DvKCRI6li_ClnO_sPCFPOFXCHRUl_0NJtL4JoA_6cIvlQmaeH2qwpeDjUUEgMZuD1wDZHHagtRt6VTqfZgrKzL9nfc2GNxaUEmbkhT4a65A2ss/s1600/Empty+Tomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1024" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieinGaQFddpspNcaWY9s8aUy-HVBL1DvKCRI6li_ClnO_sPCFPOFXCHRUl_0NJtL4JoA_6cIvlQmaeH2qwpeDjUUEgMZuD1wDZHHagtRt6VTqfZgrKzL9nfc2GNxaUEmbkhT4a65A2ss/s320/Empty+Tomb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Usually at this time of the year, we are going to church,
planning a Sunday afternoon with family, coloring eggs and honoring the most
significant week for Christianity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
this year is different.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world is in the midst of battling a virus unlike
anything we have ever seen in a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
The challenge is that it’s a virus that has already mutated several
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that the elderly and
people with health conditions are very high risk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this virus is killing young, healthy
people in some instances and we just don’t know why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social distancing is the norm and that effort
seems to be the best strategy for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Over 2000 years ago, the world was also battling a crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One that was much more significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus Christ was here to save us all and he
was condemned by almost everyone around him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The leaders of Rome ruled the world at the time and had absolutely no
faith in what Jesus preached.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
religious leaders of the time considered his teachings blasphemy and wanted him
put to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were actually
pressuring the leaders of Rome to execute Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people turned on Jesus too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had observed the miracles over and over,
watched Him heal the sick, forgive the sinful and show compassion to those in
need. Yet when given the choice between Jesus or Barrabas to be freed, they
turned on Jesus and started chanting Barrabas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pontius Pilate did not even understand why the people had turned on
Jesus because he did not think he had committed a crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that Pilate was having his own
internal struggle with what was going on indicates just how wrong the situation
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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So they condemned Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They beat and tortured Him, they mocked Him with a crown of thorns and
they made Him carry His own cross to the top of Calvary. Then they nailed Him to
a cross with spikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was hung high on
the hill to bleed to death while some of the soldiers gambled over his
clothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And by the afternoon, Jesus
appeared to be dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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What occurred next indicated to the world that Jesus Christ
was indeed the Savior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sky turned
dark for 3 hours, there were earthquakes, rocks split in half, and one of the centurions
exclaimed, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The religious leaders realized they had made the biggest mistake they
had ever made when the veil of the temple was ripped from top to bottom and the
temple was destroyed by an earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The world was consumed by fear and grief from what had been done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His disciples were in shock and
disbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His followers were lost and
confused.<o:p></o:p><br />
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But three days later, Jesus was resurrected and the faith of
his followers was restored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During
challenging times, our faith is often challenged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is just no rational explanation why
some things happen in this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why in
the world did a virus like COVID-19 ever even come into existence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure but I do think it brings out the
best in many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All across America,
health care workers are working harder than ever to help those in need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cities are taking a moment each day to cheer
on the doctors, nurses, EMT’s, policemen, firemen and anyone else that is going
the extra mile to get us through this pandemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Factories have stopped making consumer goods to make sanitizer, face
masks, face shields and other imperative equipment needed by medical staff all
over the United States. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Individual
citizens are setting up shops in their homes to make face masks for friends,
family and hospital staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s unfortunate
that we don’t have such a supportive attitude all the time as a society. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much more could be accomplished if we
worked together to make the world a better place each and every day.<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It may seem like social distancing, community spread, and
economic downturn are going to last forever. It will not. Right now, we are in a
time of uncertainty, similar to the 3 days after Jesus’ crucifixion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we will discover keys to treating the
virus, we will develop a vaccine, and we will get back to a normal society
again. We have to maintain hope, be of good courage and continue to support
each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Challenges exist, but faith
will see us through, and the Lord will be there for us the entire way.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Happy Easter to all of you and may God bless your families during
these extraordinary times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> #keepthefaith #heisrisen #jesusisking</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-12006294368019480772019-12-25T15:18:00.000-08:002019-12-25T15:18:14.176-08:00The True Meaning of Christmas<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsV26m9B2s05KPgsMEg8v10cwT_Jp-Y8jlqTAMpyK79qRRvwb41RBsDPY_nye3Q0PX2NAZlcqAL4Nsx9uZ8mmZphhRLaZGUkycM7GfFrS6EA41H29iWgbIZ7XZaR3LX6_2YxM8NJENRGU/s1600/nativity-scene-manger-christmas-desert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="700" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsV26m9B2s05KPgsMEg8v10cwT_Jp-Y8jlqTAMpyK79qRRvwb41RBsDPY_nye3Q0PX2NAZlcqAL4Nsx9uZ8mmZphhRLaZGUkycM7GfFrS6EA41H29iWgbIZ7XZaR3LX6_2YxM8NJENRGU/s400/nativity-scene-manger-christmas-desert.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The world we live in is changing
faster than most people can keep up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
phones have become computers, we can tell virtual assistants to turn the lights
on, thermostats can adjust the temperature by the hour and Amazon seems to know
what we want before we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People
constantly walk around for extended periods of time without seeing anything but
their telephone and a lot of people had rather send someone a text than talk to
them in person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christmas has turned
into a celebration of lights, toys, malls, shopping, gifts, and parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who cares about the true meaning of
Christmas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does it really matter at this
point?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I cannot imagine what Mary was
going through over 2000 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
had to be worried. She had to have a LOT of questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what was Joseph thinking taking her as
his wife?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had to leave their own
town and travel to the small village of Bethlehem and didn’t even have a room
for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had to stay in a
stable with a bunch of animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we
really to believe that the Son of God was actually born on the ground…..in a
barn….among animals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I don’t know
about you, but that is exactly what I believe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I don’t know why the circumstances
existed for the birth of our Savior to happen the way it did, but I certainly
believe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was not born into
privilege, in a sanitary environment with a trained medical staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was born as any other common baby would
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the world knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wise men knew and traveled great distances
to honor him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary and Joseph knew and
had been visited by angels to let them know that everything would be ok. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A star appeared to indicate that this birth
was nothing less than miraculous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
baby in the manger eventually became the King on the cross.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I have grown up my entire life
hearing stories from the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a
youth minister named Philip Smith that I became good friends with as I grew
older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He always offered good advice and
gave me encouragement every time I saw him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve known some great preachers in my life that have delivered some
terrific sermons on Sundays. I’ve been surrounded by people of faith that have
always stressed the importance of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But my faith is not the result of the people around me or their beliefs.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That certainly gave me exposure to the
Bible, church and Christianity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, the
reason for my faith is because of something that’s inside me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always had an inner feeling that has
removed all doubt in my faith in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through good times, hard times, happy times, stressful
times, and sad times, my faith has stayed the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know why many things happen and I don’t
like bad things to happen at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I
believe there is a reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We all
have so much to be grateful for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live
in a free country where we have access to anything we need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have the freedom to do whatever we want,
visit family and friends, access to exceptional medical treatment, provide for
our families and live in comfortable conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christmas is always humbling when you
consider people that are struggling in some way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have challenges sooner or later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why I think its so important to spend quality
time with family and friends during Christmas because you just never know when
circumstances will change by the next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s amazing that the birth of a baby over 2,000 years
ago saved all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simple answer
to my first question is that we should ALL care about the true meaning of Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been one of the most important aspects
of my own life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the answer to my
second question is that not only does the true meaning of Christmas matter, but
it’s never been more important than it is to the world we live in today. </div>
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I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope you have some time to relax, rest and spend time with the ones you love. </div>
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-69090468257887890692019-09-13T16:46:00.000-07:002019-09-13T16:57:08.517-07:00A Date to Remember<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-VKubaojoPLMAqYLtygXK0fpUkWQtdOllIoyEgqqD2F2bByX5FksAM7dGIvyID0M9QV9X8qvY2gFd16064yFaqfTwOhLBcGJnlybqWV5CV0_g088l2KBbmQjc8S_Lnh1R_W4WYxn9mI/s1600/The+Calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-VKubaojoPLMAqYLtygXK0fpUkWQtdOllIoyEgqqD2F2bByX5FksAM7dGIvyID0M9QV9X8qvY2gFd16064yFaqfTwOhLBcGJnlybqWV5CV0_g088l2KBbmQjc8S_Lnh1R_W4WYxn9mI/s320/The+Calendar.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In July of 2000, our family went to
Johns Hopkins Hospital for our weekly visits with Deddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would drive up on Sunday after church, stay
the night, he would get his treatment on Monday morning, then we would leave
and be home that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did that for
about 6 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the last visit was
quite different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
One of the first things I noticed
when we got to the hospital was that a number of the normal staff members were
not there that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been going
for so long that the doctors and nurses that worked in the oncology department
became friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was always
helpful, supportive and encouraging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was surprised that so many were not there that day, but I grew to understand
why. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Travis and I were sitting in a
small room where Deddy would be given an IV that injected the medication or chemo
that he was receiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got up and left
the room to go find out what Mama and Donna were doing in another room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I walked in, a doctor that we had not
seen as much was patiently talking about Deddy and his medical situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Mama asked her, “So what are we looking
at?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctor answered, “Probably two
weeks.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I had just walked in 30 seconds
earlier, I asked “Two weeks until what?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m standing there thinking…. until they change his medicine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until they do another scan?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we skip a week and come back in two
weeks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Doctor looks at me and
then back at Mama and had a look of absolute shock and concern at the same
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when I said, “To
LIVE????????” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Doctor obviously overwhelmed
and upset herself looked at Mama and said, “Oh my God, I didn’t realize that he
didn’t know!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that moment, I knew
what two weeks meant. That was one of the hardest things I ever had to hear in
my lifetime. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was 27 years old and the
time I had to spend with my father was potentially only 14 more days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hyperventilated, I freaked out, I was angry,
I was beyond hurt and I walked into another room trying to calm down, but it
was almost impossible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mama walked in there
and tried to calm me down and said that it was going to be alright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until that day in my life, I think I had been
a boy and a young man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That day, I became
a grown man and I knew that it was a lot more complicated than “it was just
going to be alright.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the time Deddy was sick, I never
cried in front of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am convinced
with all my heart that the Holy Spirit helped me in those weak moments to strengthen
my resolve for the sake of my father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
gathered myself and was able to keep my emotions under control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the hardest moments that day for me
was as we left, Travis and Deddy were walking ahead of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember considering that neither of them
knew what we had just heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t
tell Travis until we got home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We never
told Deddy about that conversation and to be honest, we didn’t have to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He already knew and he had already accepted
his fate and gained his peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
During the year that Deddy was
battling cancer, he had a tremendous outpouring of love and support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had several preachers that visited him on
a regular basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had family and
friends around him all the time and I realized more than ever what a blessing his
life had been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the friends that
he got to know even better during that time was a gentleman named Ray McNeil,
who owned McNeill Paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are “old
school” from Harnett County, he was “Archie Ray.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was recently talking to his sons, Jody and
Marty about the passing away of their father last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They told me that they never realized how
much they would truly miss their father because he had always been in their
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. McNeill was 77 when he passed
away, Deddy was 48. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never knew before,
but Mr. McNeill had a battle with cancer around the same age that my father
died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His initial prognosis was actually
worse than Deddy’s initial prognosis, but he was able to overcome the challenge
and live 30 more years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My father talked
to him a lot that year and I’m sure it gave him comfort. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In times of great distress, I believe it’s helpful
to talk to people of great faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have not met many people in my life with
faith any stronger than Mr. McNeil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several
years after my Deddy passed away, I was in the shop buying paint and he told me
to come into his office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said he knew
that what the next day meant to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He turned
his calendar around and it said, “1:30 PM Bob Brafford my friend! 2000.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He used the same calendar every year and he
had noted significant events on different days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Obviously, Deddy was important enough to be remembered on Sept 13<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
We will all lose someone close to
us at some point in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see people all
the time dealing with health issues, life challenges, even death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned over the years just how
important it is to be supportive of others during difficult times. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a world where people can gain fame,
fortune and notoriety for some of the most unusual reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when life is coming to an end…. fame,
fortune, money and possessions simply don’t matter. The person you have been,
the people that you care about, the life you have lived, and your faith in
Jesus Christ are the only things that matter. September 13<sup>th</sup>, 2000 changed the
lives of a lot of people, especially mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Archie Ray McNeil thought it was significant enough to note it in his
calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
You see, the doctors and nurses at
Johns Hopkins that had become friends with Deddy and our family, understood what
that last visit was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was goodbye. It
was not a coincidence that so many of them were not there, it was by design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although today is a sad day, I also consider
that my father is with more family and friends now than he was on Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t make me miss him any less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t make me stop regretting that cancer
took his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it does give me faith
and hope that I will see him again one day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I believe that faith and hope are two of
the most important things that Deddy left to those he loved.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-17728892799103236752019-06-15T23:23:00.000-07:002019-06-15T23:28:08.575-07:00The Voice of Reason<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu5YFCK7xMbhRNjx-hvQc61_MtCfnnFqadNL5gkAd9SAOZLEuZZY3ghSCYrY1s7bv1ErEQhPkgO3LdS51HlSYfMkBJO5rl5dtrJ_7d9b6v2TuvDAL7cnj-BTxN3fi9iL4udwnACWHLwo/s1600/Trav%252C+Deddy%252C+Me+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu5YFCK7xMbhRNjx-hvQc61_MtCfnnFqadNL5gkAd9SAOZLEuZZY3ghSCYrY1s7bv1ErEQhPkgO3LdS51HlSYfMkBJO5rl5dtrJ_7d9b6v2TuvDAL7cnj-BTxN3fi9iL4udwnACWHLwo/s320/Trav%252C+Deddy%252C+Me+2.jpg" width="252" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjynx1nfhy2vLX-UKu1uqS9uXwGv0VqEWJpBG4t38S8UBwC1sPueCUYM-jH6Hl-X18xLEI_J5NM4LkRdU2R_nZ8mhaUIxnRqStfMDWfjFKUtfmMIMXOCLnxCIWBP8GHh3GTh_2g9wZnY4/s1600/Trav%252C+Deddy%252C+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjynx1nfhy2vLX-UKu1uqS9uXwGv0VqEWJpBG4t38S8UBwC1sPueCUYM-jH6Hl-X18xLEI_J5NM4LkRdU2R_nZ8mhaUIxnRqStfMDWfjFKUtfmMIMXOCLnxCIWBP8GHh3GTh_2g9wZnY4/s320/Trav%252C+Deddy%252C+Me.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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I learned a lot from my father
growing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He <span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">taught me to always do
the right thing, be respectful of others, and to forgive.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I’m still working on those things, especially
the last one.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Helping Travis coach Colton’s
baseball teams always brings back a lot of memories.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Its ironic that we play our games on the
exact same fields that we played on growing up.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">There were several years that Deddy coached Travis’ Tee Ball team and my
Little League team. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">He was really a dedicated
Father to take on that much responsibility.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">But we did have some great times. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Now Travis and I are going through the same
experience and we are really enjoy doing it.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Travis is good at details and organizing our efforts.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">He teaches them if they work hard, they will
get better………I make them believe it.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Deddy
did not just tell us how he wanted us to live, he led by example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
absolutely committed to doing the right thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He honored his mother and father, respected Mama, encouraged Travis and me
in every way and he loved us all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
loved his 3 brothers unconditionally and I think they would all agree that if
any of them needed someone to talk to about anything, Deddy was the one brother
that they all knew would give them good advice without judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would also kick their asses if he thought it
was deserved and necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
always quick to resolve family issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He felt like that in a lot of ways, people were as strong as their
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, he liked everyone to get
along and keep peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Respect
was also important to Deddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He offered it
to everyone that deserved it and he commanded it from others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He used to often hire people on “prison release.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked with many of those guys through the
years during the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We never had a
problem at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deddy treated them the
same way he treated everyone else. There were a number of times when some of the
gentleman would be released and come to visit Deddy to thank him for the opportunity
and for treating them with respect. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
always thought it showed a lot of integrity by my Father to take a chance with workers
that had been deemed a criminal by the rest of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Forgiveness
was the attribute of my father that I simply have a hard time
understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw many people lie to
him over and over again, interrupt his weekend to borrow $20, let him down time
and again, and Deddy would give them another chance. And another. And another. And……you
get the idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just always said that people
make mistakes and it takes some people a lot more to learn their lesson than
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It drove me crazy but always
made me admire him for his compassion towards people even when they had done
him wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When he found
out he had cancer, our family was devastated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He basically called a meeting at Mema and Papa Brafford’s house with them
and his brothers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was overwhelmed
with concern but Deddy was the voice of reason and assured them that he would
do everything he could to overcome the cancer and regardless, everything would
be alright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the one with cancer
and also the one that gave the encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of all
the people whose lives were affected by the passing of my father, my life was probably
affected the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It changed my career
path, I lost my advisor for everything, and I took on an incredible amount of
responsibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this day, there are
things that I am dealing with that were left when Deddy passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the truth is, I don’t regret it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had such a wonderful father that the
responsibility that I inherited is a small price to pay for the example he set
for me and Travis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I miss him every day
for his advice, support and encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I miss him for his great sense of humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I often regret that he is not at our Little League games so he can tell
me and Travis what we did wrong when the games are over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as I consider that this will be the 19<sup>th</sup>
Father’s Day we will spend without him, I am glad that he gave us life lessons
that will last forever. I think for my family and friends, I have evolved into
the voice of reason for a lot of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am certain that is something that Deddy would be proud of.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I wish
all of you a very Happy Father’s Day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
hope those of you that still have your Father get to spend some time
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you that have
children, I hope that you are able to spend time with your kids and relish in
being a father. You never know when life can change, so take advantage of all
opportunities you have with your loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May God bless you all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>#keepthefaith
#HappyFathersDay<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-84429949081815854532018-12-24T14:42:00.000-08:002018-12-24T15:31:22.230-08:00Keeping a Promise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOQCOupkyRbbKMJLq7q-xPohCUeAxp-AMFIXDUbK0F6Rmcs-vF8vYHJDMBi67arukqDJgY3fN3tGQwzQhq2FTOFbeolXVQChqGWwgb-RQuEfpsp8nU6lLOXX5zPwlNyy1ePLYE7nTuqM/s1600/Me+Mama+Trav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOQCOupkyRbbKMJLq7q-xPohCUeAxp-AMFIXDUbK0F6Rmcs-vF8vYHJDMBi67arukqDJgY3fN3tGQwzQhq2FTOFbeolXVQChqGWwgb-RQuEfpsp8nU6lLOXX5zPwlNyy1ePLYE7nTuqM/s320/Me+Mama+Trav.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Mama told me a while back how much
she enjoys reading my blogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
she said that all of my blogs read,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I
had a wonderful father who I loved dearly but my Mama was a hateful bitch.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you that know my mother, you can
hear her saying that and realize how funny it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also not true at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Mama and Deddy always made
Christmas special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even during times
when they were struggling, they made sure that Travis and I had a wonderful
Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can look back at certain
years and I realize just how blessed we were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During one of the most difficult times of their life, we got an Atari
for Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were two of the first
kids to have an Atari and it wasn’t until the next Christmas that EVERYBODY got
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mama also used to always make sure
we got things that were unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has
bought us multiple musical instruments over the years and we can’t play any of
them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, Travis can play a guitar for
“Guitar Hero” on Nintendo, but he did not learn it until he was grown and I’m
not sure if I’m proud of him, or ashamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She would get us unique books, things to put in our rooms, matching
clothes, and all sorts of other things that made Christmas special.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Three years ago, Mama was battling
cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was going through
chemotherapy and radiation at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was physically and emotionally draining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a hard Christmas but we made it
through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, in our family, we know
that Mama can be stubborn about some things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, during her treatment, I always went with her on the hard days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She might argue with Travis and she might
argue with her sister, Libby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
she was not going to argue with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
laughs now about the fact that when she was depressed, tired, or feeling
defeated, that I did not want to hear it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that cuts both
ways and if I ever face a challenging medical situation, Mama would never allow
me to give up without a fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
support would be the same as always, encouraging and reassuring that God has a
plan and that one should take advantage of every opportunity that is available
when battling an illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I think that at this time of the
year, we all look back and reflect on all we have to be grateful for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot express the gratitude that I have
for the doctors, nurses, and medical staff at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center
for helping Mama overcome cancer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was so helpful, encouraging and
optimistic when treating Mama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
society has a distorted view of what is really important and merit is often
based simply on popularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the true
heroes in this world work at places like the Lineberger Cancer Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were the “Justice League” to our family
when we really needed them and I will always appreciate that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
This year will be the 19<sup>th</sup>
Christmas that Deddy has not been here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all miss him, especially at this time of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He truly was Father Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Mama deserves the same credit for making Christmas
such a wonderful time of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
decorations in our home were always beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The candy she made for so many years was always great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mama and Deddy made every effort to get us
the things we wanted while reminding us to be grateful for everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything they did for us at Christmas gave
us a whole lot more than just gifts and presents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gave us the memories that we will cherish
for the rest of our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight I
will do the same thing that I have done for my entire life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will spend Christmas with my family to make
new memories that will last forever. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
my way home tonight around 11:00, I’ll drive by Barbecue Church and visit Deddy’s
grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll make sure his tree is still
lit and wonder if he can hear me when I’m talking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll talk to him about a number of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As always, I’ll let him know that Mama is
ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And most of all, I’ll assure him I’m
keeping my promise……he will understand. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>May God Bless all of you and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-47198345358119325332018-11-21T12:11:00.000-08:002018-11-21T15:39:46.743-08:00So Much to Be Grateful For<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACaxBZa0GjNy4Fi6Qm0VLvpX3qnDs0fnyKoYb7DlfvJvYCPPDJH4WcKm4plOzhxCfEXy9YfMsjQrv63IDb5PrOmoG_41tF1Fn2qcQs_T8phmaHM5uds3XdSvMmkOny9t2U-2V48Km83Q/s1600/Happy+Thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACaxBZa0GjNy4Fi6Qm0VLvpX3qnDs0fnyKoYb7DlfvJvYCPPDJH4WcKm4plOzhxCfEXy9YfMsjQrv63IDb5PrOmoG_41tF1Fn2qcQs_T8phmaHM5uds3XdSvMmkOny9t2U-2V48Km83Q/s320/Happy+Thanksgiving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
One of my favorite movies is “The
Book of Eli.” In the movie, a young lady
named Solara asks Eli what the world was like before nuclear war and he
responded:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i>“People had more than they
needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn’t. We threw away things
people kill each other for now.”<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the movie, things like gloves,
scarves and hotel shampoo are valuable commodities. Water is more valuable than anything. I know for most of us, the thought of a world
like that is inconceivable. We all have
so much to be grateful for, yet it’s so easy to forget our blessings and let
the stress of everyday life overwhelm us. It’s sad to think that we live
in a world that has so much abundance but still have people who are hungry, homeless,
and sometimes destitute. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I was working with a friend of mine
a few years ago and we were leaving work at the end of the day. I rolled down my window and handed a guy some
money at an off-ramp. The gentleman with me asked if I did that all the time
and I responded, “No.” Somewhat
perplexed, he then asked me why I did it sometimes, but not others. I told him that sometimes I feel led to do
it, and sometimes I do not. That's just the
truth and it was good enough for him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I think society has created a world
that often makes responsibility irrelevant and causes us to believe that some
things are important when they really are not.
Many people will put the importance of a cell phone, a bad habit, or an
inflated image over things that truly matter.
I think that in the end, when a person has wasted much of their life on
things that really do not matter, the most significant feeling they leave this
world with, is regret.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I have always been a grateful
person. That is how I was raised and I
am glad l that I was taught to appreciate whatever I have. Challenging circumstances can also put a
person in a situation that is very difficult to overcome. I realize that
sometimes it may be a person’s own fault. But you don’t always know what someone has really
been through. In a world where families are becoming smaller, I think in the
years to come people will not have near as many loved ones to rely on as they
get older. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I have so many great memories of
spending the holidays with my family and friends and I’ll always be grateful
just for that. As time moves forward and
some of those people have passed away, I appreciate those memories even more. I have said the prayer before we eat in the
Brafford family since I was about 12 years old. One never knows when the Holy Spirit will
overwhelm you. For me, it comes fast and
it comes furious. I was in total control
last year when we started the blessing and 10 seconds later, it really hit me
that Mema Brafford was not there. It was
all I could do to get through the prayer without completely losing it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
This Thanksgiving, take the time to
appreciate the people you care about. Keep
your family and friends in mind that are going through challenges. North Carolina was devastated by hurricanes
and flooding this year and many of those people are still recovering. Keep all of those people in your thoughts and
prayers. I think in a world that is
often moving faster than we can keep up, we all need to take the time to be
grateful for all of our blessings. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-79176488860503418332018-10-31T13:53:00.001-07:002018-10-31T13:53:03.900-07:00I Do Not Welcome the Great Pumpkin!!!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TsmW3WJp4jqP21y7lXhvBon9BafqjwbGLlA0eA7iRM2rcwxVw9Xd9Ed_hGns2E-HzSf52QovfaYrdeMiKdDFzAGzNiK70GvJoeWLH9cLLdOkiJSBdZc9qnZ_sEPrNqQA6l_YakaxKUg/s1600/Great+Pumpkin+Arrives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="624" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TsmW3WJp4jqP21y7lXhvBon9BafqjwbGLlA0eA7iRM2rcwxVw9Xd9Ed_hGns2E-HzSf52QovfaYrdeMiKdDFzAGzNiK70GvJoeWLH9cLLdOkiJSBdZc9qnZ_sEPrNqQA6l_YakaxKUg/s400/Great+Pumpkin+Arrives.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Personally, I’m not a fan of the
scary part of Halloween.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t like haunted
houses, ghosts, demons, horror movies or the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike Linus, I do NOT want to see the Great
Pumpkin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here are a few ghost
stories from my own family that I thought some of you would enjoy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Ironically, the first story
involves me when I was a baby. When Mama found out she was pregnant with me, my
Great Grandfather Cameron was one of the most excited family members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was waiting on my arrival with great
anticipation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in October 1972,
he died of a massive heart attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
born just a few months later in December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A few days after they brought me home, Mama got up to check on me during
the night and make sure I was ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
she walked into the room, she saw my Great Grandfather and another women just
standing there peacefully looking at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, she went back to bed and wondered if she was dreaming or possibly
crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day, she was telling
about what had happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course,
everyone thought it was funny and it turned into a big joke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when she told Mema Brafford about
what she saw, Mema asked her what the lady she saw had on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mama described her outfit in great
detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several years before Mama and
Deddy ever dated, his Grandma Brafford passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a tough woman in her life but she
loved her family and especially her grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Mama described what the lady had on,
Mema Brafford immediately realized that it was the outfit that Grandma Brafford
was buried in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, before they both
passed away, Grandma Brafford had been very good friends with my Grandfather
Cameron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the sudden, the story was
no longer just a joke.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Another story occurred when my Mema
Brafford was staying with her brother many years ago as he was in his final
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had acquired cancer and it was
only a matter of time before he passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was sleeping on his couch and she woke up to the room being lit as
if someone had turned on a bright light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her father and one of her sisters walked through the room into Herman’s
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few minutes later, her mother
and another sister walked into the same room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She said that the room looked like it had the brightest lights she had
ever seen coming out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She did not
move because she did not know what in the world to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next morning, she did not mention it to
Herman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, he did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told her about the family coming to see
him the night before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They told him they
would be back very soon to take him home and to not be afraid, everything would
be alright. He said they would return in the form of a white dove to take him
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herman died within just a few
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my family, if you tell
something like that, you are probably going to get laughed at and Uncle Boyd is
going to make about 50 jokes about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, she only told Mama and Deddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the funeral, everyone was gathered at Mema Brafford’s house and
just talking about Herman and that everything had been handled very
respectfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone started talking
and said that the strangest thing had happened that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the hearse pulled out of the parking lot
at the funeral home, a white dove got behind it and flew back and forth all the
way out to the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the hearse
pulled into the parking lot, the dove flew off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In case you’re keeping score, that would be when Herman went home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The year that Deddy was sick,
several strange things happened that we just could not explain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember a few months after he come
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said that after he had his
surgery in Chapel Hill and it was not successful, for the next 3 days, he felt
the presence of true evil in the room with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He felt like the presence was making every effort to make him bitter and
angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But after 3 days, he made his
mind up that although he was disappointed, he was going to make the most of
whatever time he had left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last
few months he was here, we witnessed a number of unusual things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One time he was laying in the bed and looking
up and smiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mama asked him what he
was looking at and he waved and pointed as if he was pointing to the top of a
mountain and said,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“See all of those
people, they are waiting on me to come up there.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few weeks later, he would be waving at
people that were much closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last
week, they were in the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did not
make an issue about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He seemed to
think that we could see the same thing that he was seeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a few days before he died, I was helping
him up by pulling on his right arm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
reached straight out with his left arm and said, “Help me up Harold!” and he
kind of laughed as if “what is Harold thinking just sitting there doing
nothing!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The irony is that Harold was
his Uncle, who had died a few months earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of Mema Brafford’s life, I called Mama and Travis and told
them that they needed to come up to the Assisted Living facility that she was
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Mama got there she was really
happy that Mama had come and said, “Hey Brenda, so good to see you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mama responded that it was good to see her
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mema said “Bob’s here too!”, which
caused Mama to get a little upset and she said, “Well that is good Mema, but I
can’t see him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That somewhat
aggravated Mema who responded, “Yes you can! He’s standing right there!” and
she pointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
My brother Travis has two children,
Colton and Brooklyn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are both great
kids and they know that Uncle Robbie is #1!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, Brooklyn hit Colton one night and did not hurt him, but Travis was
trying to teach her a lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, he
punished her with the dreaded, “Timeout.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Travis said she was screaming as if he was beating her with a cane from
the Philippines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the sudden, the
phone rang and "499-9750" came up on caller ID.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Travis answered it, no noise at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He called it back, “this number is no longer in service.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ironically, for probably 30 years, Deddy’s
office number had been 499-9750.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess
what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Timeout was over.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Happy Halloween to all of you and I
hope all the children stay safe and get plenty of candy to eat!!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-4992279963101327072018-09-13T17:59:00.003-07:002018-09-15T19:00:01.519-07:00One Nation Under God<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQxiq1hhfSnQz46MkBmyWLqUONt8qREhjUwtIT-V2RdvrgGgpTJRJqSdZgSQ8LymeWDnwQXTQ-55CcD7w5qxCnY_DIgfQPyuHDEG-Sp_PVw1Rr0lM8PApx8kLh_DL6b1-57Jce6Z2_DY/s1600/Boyd+Brafford+Rd.+Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQxiq1hhfSnQz46MkBmyWLqUONt8qREhjUwtIT-V2RdvrgGgpTJRJqSdZgSQ8LymeWDnwQXTQ-55CcD7w5qxCnY_DIgfQPyuHDEG-Sp_PVw1Rr0lM8PApx8kLh_DL6b1-57Jce6Z2_DY/s320/Boyd+Brafford+Rd.+Sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>“I
pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the
Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.”</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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How did we get to the where we are
in America? How did we become so angry,
aggravated, and intolerant of each other? When did we dismiss “one Nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL?” I don’t know when it happened, but I can tell you
that I don’t like the fact that so many people have forgotten it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I believe in my own 80/20
rule. I think 80% of us from every
different category you can imagine can get along and at the very least, be
respectful of each other. However, I believe
that 20% of every categorical group is going to hate everybody that is not like
them until the end of the time. The real
problem is that the 20% of each group is usually louder than the 80% of us that
can respect others, even when we may not agree with them. On 9/11/2001, America was attacked by a force
of evil. Immediately after that, we were
united as one nation under God.
Everybody was proud to be an American, proud to live in the United
States and was genuinely concerned about each other. When you look around at the dissension that
goes on daily now, our unity seems like a million years ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As school starts back each year, I
always remember the teachers that were dedicated to giving me the education
that I needed to get through life. I
didn’t always like some of the work it took to get through school, but I
respected the fact that it was what was best for me. Our education system in the United States is
falling apart in a lot of areas. I
believe that much of the reason for educational deterioration is that many kids
are no longer taught to be respectful.
When a child is growing up in an environment that does not teach them to
be determined and committed to their education, they are probably not going to
care. That is another problem that I see
with society today, many people do not consider the best decisions they can
make for their future. They only
consider what they need to do today, just to get by. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I was
blessed with a wonderful mother and father.
They gave me direction, taught me to be respectful and gave me rules to
live by. Not one time in my life did I
ever hear my parents support something only for political reasons. They made decisions based on what they
thought was right. Because at the end of our life, when the decisions we made truly
matter, there will only be one way we are going to be saved. And I hate to hurt
anyone’s feelings, but I can assure you, being saved will not have anything to
do with a political party. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I grew
up on a small, private dirt road named Boyd Brafford Dr, after my grandfather. Down that road we were free to play, ride
bikes, visit grandparents, and not worry about many of the evils that the world
faces today. We walked about a quarter
of a mile to the bus stop all of our lives by ourselves and we never had one
issue. That will always be home to
me. Every time I ride down that road, I
think about so many wonderful memories and how grateful I am for my childhood. But I also remember the lessons I was taught about
respect, appreciation, and honor. Long
before a song made it famous, I was taught that no matter what, always be
humble and kind. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Today marks
18 years since Deddy passed away.
Ironically, we are having one of the strongest hurricanes that we have
had in many years. There is an old
Chinese proverb that says, “When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear
the wind.” I think as Florence passes
through and damages start to be assessed, we’ll all see the good in people come
to fruition. Family, friends, neighbors and strangers
will come to the aid of others in need.
Lives will be saved, trees will be cut from houses and roads, linemen
and emergency crews will work incredibly long hours for weeks and most of all,
compassion will prevail over strife. It’s
a shame that society often needs a tragedy to remind all of us of how much we
need each other. I think we can all
agree that if the world we live in today would put forth more effort into
helping one another and less effort into finding reasons to hate each other, it
would be better for everyone. I
think there are a lot of lessons that need to be learned in the world today,
but we have to be willing to listen to one another in a reasonable way. One of the most significant reasons I miss my
father so much is that he was always was a voice of reason. He was the one person I could always turn to
during a difficult time. As I have
gotten older, I have grown to appreciate that even more. No matter where I go in this world, home
always leads me back to Boyd Brafford Dr. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I wish
all of you the very best as Hurricane Florence rips through North
Carolina. I pray that all of you stay
safe over the next several days. As
always, we will get through this together and I am certain that compassion and empathy
will prevail, and that is an America that we can all be proud of. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KeepTheFaith&src=tyah" target="_blank">#Keepthefaith</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BraffordStrong&src=typd" target="_blank">#BraffordStrong</a> <a href="http://www.krobsworld.com/" target="_blank">#Krobsworld</a> <a href="http://www.robbiebrafford.com/" target="_blank">#Robbiebrafford</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-50700928648917334972018-06-16T22:26:00.001-07:002018-06-16T22:45:43.454-07:00Every Cut He Made and Every Nail He Hammered<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLKWjDDTqSzCc1jbzS2v_0Dar9J9F7GKlwzP5nLpzvakvlyFsnzVecpRCI9FKuJZnzW0-yBVQkXyx0mb-MhF1mCp_ZdnEQZkK8PogY05DuB6RNX7pyRzdjb4VwIyQ8nsV6BhzDxpBGxI/s1600/Deddy%2527s+Swing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLKWjDDTqSzCc1jbzS2v_0Dar9J9F7GKlwzP5nLpzvakvlyFsnzVecpRCI9FKuJZnzW0-yBVQkXyx0mb-MhF1mCp_ZdnEQZkK8PogY05DuB6RNX7pyRzdjb4VwIyQ8nsV6BhzDxpBGxI/s400/Deddy%2527s+Swing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It’s hard to believe that today is the 18<sup>th</sup>
Father’s Day that Deddy has been passed away. He was the best father that Travis or I could have ever asked for and
I am grateful for everything he ever did in our lives. I loved him, but I also
respected him. He was always there when
I needed him, but he also demanded that I followed the rules of life and stayed
out of trouble. I was staying with David O’Quinn one night many years ago and that
usually meant police helicopters would be hovering above their house the whole
time. His buddy Troy decided we should
go sneak into the Lillington swimming pool.
I told Troy there was no way in the world that I was going to do
that. I explained to Troy that the idea
of doing that didn’t bother me at all.
However, the idea of getting caught and having to confront my father,
DID bother me. He kind of chuckled and
implied that dealing with my father would not be so difficult. That’s when David interjected….”Troy, do you
know what Grizzly Adams looks like?”
Troy indicated that he did. David
responded by saying….. “Imagine him, on
crack, and infuriated. That would be his
Deddy if Robbie got caught. As a matter
of fact, I don’t want to do it now either because I don’t want Bob mad at ME.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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That
was my father. Although he was one of the
nicest people that ever lived, he was respected by everyone that knew him. When
he walked in a room, without even trying, his presence commanded respect. All my friends thought a lot of him. They enjoyed the funny things he said and his
general interpretation of the world. He
had the ability to insult you in some way, but before you could get mad, he
would follow it up with a compliment.
Heck, he did it to me a lot! The
first time he ever met one of my best friends in college, Russell Moore, his
introductory line was…. “Damn boy, your Mama don’t feed you much does she!” Russell laughed and loved Deddy from that
moment on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He did many
things for others in life. A guy I know
said Deddy loaned him the money to buy the land his home was on. He told Deddy about a piece of land that he
had found but he could not afford the home and the land right away. Deddy told him to come back in a few days and
he would see what he could do. When the
gentleman returned, Deddy handed him a check and told him to pay him back as he
could. No contract, no paperwork, just a handshake. Within a few years, he paid Deddy back, but he
has appreciated it forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was
also one of the most forgiving people I have ever known. He just thought that everyone deserved a
second chance and he often gave people many chances. Over the years, several guys that worked with
him got into trouble in various ways and went to jail for a while. He would visit them, give them money, and take
them things like cigarettes if it was allowed.
I asked him one day why he did that, and he said too many people think
that a similar situation could not happen to them. However, you just never know. He said that when someone is in such a
difficult situation, the right thing to do is to extend them a hand of friendship
and let them know that someone hopes the best for them. He would not justify any crime they committed,
but he encourage them to learn from their mistakes. Forgiveness is a trait that I am still working on to be a better person.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think
for many of his family and friends, my father’s life was a collection of stories
that became wonderful memories when he died. One of Gwen’s favorite stories is pulling through
a drive thru window and Deddy ordering a “sack of cheeseburgers.” When the guy asked him how many cheeseburgers
that would be, Deddy told him as many as he could fit in one bag! Uncle Boyd was with him one time and he was
supposed to be on a diet. He got a
cheeseburger on the way and he stopped and got another one coming home. Then he told Uncle Boyd that he better not
say a word to Mama! Marshall had to get
his truck painted one time after a wreck.
Deddy told him where to take his truck to get it fixed. When Marshall went to pick up the truck, it
had new rims on it. When Marshall told
the owner that those were not his rims, the man replied; “Yes they are, that’s
your graduation present from your Uncle Bob.”
Giving gifts to the elderly at
Christmas, going to races with his brothers and friends, some of the “pep talks”
he gave us playing Little League, raising money for people in need, and just
being there whenever anyone needed him are all terrific memories of Deddy that
his family and friends will cherish forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
As my
life races by, I have come to appreciate even the smallest blessings. A few years ago, my Aunt Libby called me and
asked me if I wanted the swing on her porch.
She then explained to me something that I did not know, that Deddy had
made the swing. There are many reasons that
swing means so much to me now. He made
it during one of the most difficult times in his life. It was the early 80’s and the economy was
terrible. His truck had blown a motor, our
house had burned down, and it was hard to find any work at all. We were living with my Great Grandparents in
a 2 bedroom, one bath house. I slept on
the big couch and Travis slept on the loveseat.
To have something to do in the evenings, Deddy wired up one of my Great Papa
Ferrell’s barns and started making all kinds of woodworks. That Christmas, he made a lot of presents
that we gave to family and friends. There are stools, benches, lantern holders,
and quilt trunks that my family still owns as a result of his handiwork, and
now, I have the swing. I can see every
cut he made and every nail he hammered. I worked on it for a while sanding it, making
small repairs, and finally painting it.
The swing now sits on my porch and looks great. Anyone can go somewhere tomorrow and buy a new
swing. That swing can sit on your porch
and look great. But you’ll never appreciate
it as much as the one I have now. During
one of the most difficult periods of his life, he chose to spend his spare time
making things for other people. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I think we often get caught up in
the hectic and frantic pace of life and we forget to appreciate what we already
have. Deddy was not like that. I think he had enough challenges in life that
when things started to improve, he appreciated everything that life had to
offer. It is one of the most valuable
lessons I ever learned from him and I really am a very grateful person.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I miss my father as much now as I did
the week he died. I know nobody truly
realizes just how much I still miss him.
There have been so many times that I would have given anything to ask
him for advice. I am told all the time
that I look a lot like my father. I
realize that much of the reason for that is that people will always remember
Deddy being the age that I am now because he died so young. Although his time on Earth was short, the
impact he made was truly a blessing for so many people. I can only hope that I can do enough good in the
world that I’ll be remembered the same way. <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-31786296685943729912018-01-18T09:44:00.000-08:002018-01-18T21:29:06.637-08:00$22 Million...... $6 at a Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHbogQ5-KD4F9Vm-oJRbCDWJADEbVbZ7vFRQXHAUR_v48lPe_n-Wbv4yCXXXWnY3mDfIzU8auzSNwVh5yOoHDYseuYZ7h5ypk41jI86v060oBoDjJ81fjh8fe3gdOxBYm34s_scIDImY/s1600/MeUsedTires.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHbogQ5-KD4F9Vm-oJRbCDWJADEbVbZ7vFRQXHAUR_v48lPe_n-Wbv4yCXXXWnY3mDfIzU8auzSNwVh5yOoHDYseuYZ7h5ypk41jI86v060oBoDjJ81fjh8fe3gdOxBYm34s_scIDImY/s400/MeUsedTires.jpeg" width="368" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As I reflect on the work I have
done during my career, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed building custom
homes and selling real estate. The
process was meticulous, stressful, and required a lot of attention to
detail. As a General Contractor, it’s
imperative to be able to communicate effectively with different types of
people. You talk to people with a
specific skill or trade like painters, brick masons, and electricians. In addition, you also communicate with many others who
are critical in the building process like appraisers, surveyors, attorneys, and
bankers. An essential step while
building homes is addressing the needs of the buyer during the process. At the end of the project, however, your
reward is seeing what you have accomplished, handing the keys to the new
homeowner, and learning something during the process that will make the next
home even better.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I was a 2<sup>nd</sup> generation
builder and I recognized issues with the economy in 2004. In 2008, all of us in the construction
industry were living a nightmare. There
are countless stories of what people did to get through the economic
meltdown. Some guys were old enough to
retire, many took other jobs, some just did the best they could, and a lot
filed bankruptcy. Fortunately for me, I
found another job with a company named Liberty Tire Recycling.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
For the first few years I worked
with Liberty, I implemented a software to help improve scheduling and
maintenance on virtually every piece of machinery, equipment and rolling
stock. I had very little training in the
beginning but was able to figure out the system and utilize it for each
facility. The biggest challenge we had
for software was identifying someone at each site that could learn the system
and continue with their other responsibilities. Since it was new, not many people were anxious
to learn a new software that would take up some of their time during the work
day. But for those of us that were
committed to the project, we made the most of it and got it headed in the right
direction. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
During my effort with Manager Plus,
I met a gentleman named Tom Dupont who also worked with Liberty. Tom realized that nobody really dictated my
schedule or how I went about my job.
However, he noted that I was one of the first people to the site
wherever I was working, and I would stay as late as needed. He talked to me one day and told me that if I
ever decided to consider another job within Liberty, he thought sales would be
perfect for me. His logic was that if I
put as much time and effort into sales as I did Manager Plus, I would do a
great job.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
After working on Manager Plus for
over a year, I realized that it was going to be very difficult to implement
the system throughout the company. We
simply did not have commitment from every site to make it work. Our biggest achievement with Manager Plus was
to install schedules throughout the company to improve our efforts for
safety. We were able to get every site
up and going within 45 days. This
created a more systematic process of complying to safety standards and keeping
our facilities safe. As I was working on
the safety aspect of the system, I started contemplating the possibility of
moving into sales. I contacted Tom
Dupont and we discussed the idea. He
initially questioned why I would make that move simply because I was the only
employee with Liberty that comprehended the functionality of Manager Plus as
well as I did. I explained to him, that
I was more accustomed to sales and I was looking for a new challenge. After meeting with Thomas Womble, it was
agreed that I would need to transition out of Manager Plus because people would
still need help while they searched for someone to replace me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I made the transition into sales in
October 2012 and was given a nominal salary for 3 months. After that, I was 100% commission. So essentially, whether I was financially successful or not
was completely up to me. I was given a
goal for the first year to achieve $800,000 in sales. If I could get to $1,000,000 the first year,
that would be above and beyond what was expected. The beginning was slow for sure, and the fact
that I started in November was also challenging because traditionally, tire
sales slow down during the holidays. I
was dedicated, I lived on the road, and I was committed to a consistent, focused
plan. I devised my own method of sales
that I called “Spider Web Marketing” and by the third month, it was already
working. My first year, I produced
$4,200,000 in sales. That’s a lot of tires especially when you consider it was
earned $6 at a time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
My second year rolled around and we
discussed establishing goals again. I
was told that my first year was probably an anomaly and it would be difficult,
if not impossible to reach this mark again.
In the same conversation, I was told if I could do $2 million the
company would be satisfied. I produced
$4.4 million my second year, $4.5 million my 3rd, and $4.8 million my 4<sup>th</sup>
year. A few months ago, I surpassed $22 million
in sales production. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When working in sales, there are a
lot of flights, a lot of hotel rooms, and a lot of rental cars. I have met a lot of friendly people
<a href="https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir" target="_blank">@SouthwestAir</a>. I have always gotten the
best customer service from them and they have made every effort to get me where
I’m going during challenging travel days. I also appreciate the fact that their
staff is always friendly and attentive to their passengers. I have stayed
<a href="https://twitter.com/Marriott" target="_blank">@Marriott</a> hotels a LOT! They actually
play a trumpet when I walk into one of their hotels, put a robe around me and
hand me a scepter. But one of the sacrifices of this business is
that I have spent a lot of time away from home during the last 8 years. A lot of people think that the life of a
traveling salesperson is glamorous and fun all of the time. However, the reality is that you spend most
of your time alone when you are not meeting with potential customers. In
this business, it’s necessary to meet most customers face to face. Meeting them in person helps to build trust
and foster a positive working relationship.
As I have traveled, I have met a lot of interesting people. I have met some really smart entrepreneurs
that have been incredibly successful. I
have seen numerous business models, some successful, and some not so much. I have seen what works, and I have seen what
does not. I often talk to people and I
can tell from their lack of enthusiasm and dedication, that they will probably
not be in business for very long. Then
I’ve also talked to guys that are constantly considering ways to evolve and
continue a prosperous business.
Honestly, the used tire industry is no different than any other industry
in that, the best and the brightest will survive and be profitable in the years
to come. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I have been grateful for this job
and I have made every effort to make the most of it. I’ve missed a lot of personal time with my family and friends by being away from home so
much. I’ve had to miss school programs,
ball games, and time with my nieces and nephews. That has definitely been my biggest regret. But as is the case with anything, the
difference between being exceptional at your job or not, is whether you have
commitment, effort, and respect. I have
all three of these attributes and it reflects in the
sales I have produced for the company. Most importantly, I respect the fact
that customers have options and I’m professional regardless of the choices they
make. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I can say with no reservation that
this job has been quite a learning experience.
I believe that with my experience selling used tires, I can sell just
about anything. My philosophy is the
same now as it has always been…when it comes to people….everyone has a purpose
and deserves respect. It does not cost
anyone one nickel to be respectful and that is the center of my beliefs and why
I have earned the respect of many people I have worked with over the years. Now
is no different from when I was a builder and selling real estate…..I am always
honest with customers even when I tell them something they are not going to
like. In this industry, not everyone
believes in my personal philosophy of integrity or honesty. My ability to adapt to just about any personality
has been a real asset in the used tire industry. It requires constant effort,
negotiation, addressing the ever-evolving issue of popular tire sizes,
coordinating freight, and keeping accounts in order. No matter what it has
taken, I have made every effort to meet the needs of my customers over the
years and my sales are living proof — $22 million for the company……. $6 at a
time.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzrFWC9aN8Y6sr8P04ld62f_pmNhnfJKDCL20oZt5TZHD_ur24ocEP1lVyTX6aw0cTC_U3LkbwTNBbRaHYMmaYUf2iuaalvhRt7I0d2cmR59C8xfYcfc1C8pZtYtZC9j32FYbU6H2ZuU/s1600/RobbieCartoon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzrFWC9aN8Y6sr8P04ld62f_pmNhnfJKDCL20oZt5TZHD_ur24ocEP1lVyTX6aw0cTC_U3LkbwTNBbRaHYMmaYUf2iuaalvhRt7I0d2cmR59C8xfYcfc1C8pZtYtZC9j32FYbU6H2ZuU/s320/RobbieCartoon2.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-12401837122247077412017-12-24T11:22:00.002-08:002017-12-24T21:21:28.577-08:00Christmas Traditions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8NJLT8mDli9iv9Swy9XWwdo2bhxeQbLEf3uJpDAZVKYyZYWoD_z72z-_4RBuJEmQbStWPUbR-m4623gsn_88DSmqagCCbNHgCRNBW9FXNSNZoXOdUQ17HuVzqappf0MWWmKcSuhkpGZg/s1600/Bethlehem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8NJLT8mDli9iv9Swy9XWwdo2bhxeQbLEf3uJpDAZVKYyZYWoD_z72z-_4RBuJEmQbStWPUbR-m4623gsn_88DSmqagCCbNHgCRNBW9FXNSNZoXOdUQ17HuVzqappf0MWWmKcSuhkpGZg/s320/Bethlehem.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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Christmas has always been a wonderful time for our
family. Mama and Deddy always made every
effort to make sure each Christmas was special.
Travis and I used to get up on Christmas morning around 3:00 A.M. and we
would not go back to bed until the next night.
We spent time with our families, shared meals together, played with
whatever we got and just had a great time every Christmas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Each
year we would go to Mema and Papa Cameron’s on Christmas Eve. My cousin Kevin
would always be in a rush to get home so he could go to bed. He was mortified of the possibility that he
might be awake when Santa Claus came by. We would go to Mema and Papa Brafford’s on
Christmas morning. When I was younger,
we would also go to my Great Grandparents house on Christmas Day. There was always a good time and a lot of
love everywhere we went. I am so
grateful for the life that I was blessed with.
There was never a time in my childhood that I did not feel
unconditionally loved. But I was also very
appreciative of everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Over
the years, things have changed somewhat but we still have traditions. We still spend Christmas Eve with Mema
Cameron. I made a snowman pencil when I
was in the 2<sup>nd</sup> grade and gave it to Mema. She still puts that pencil on her tree to
this day, 37 years later. Travis made
one about 10 years ago, but she doesn’t really like his as much and puts his on
the bottom of the tree in the back. Uncle Boyd’s Christmas Party has become one
of things that I look forward to most each year. The jokes and insults are always in full force
at Uncle Boyd’s. But its always in good
fun and everyone enjoys the great camaraderie. Everyone starts asking about the party months
in advance. I always check with Uncle
Sammy to see if we need to modify his rules in any way. Mema
Brafford passed away this year but most of the Brafford’s are going to get
together on Christmas morning. I think
Mema would have wanted us to get together.
Travis and I have taken Mama Christmas shopping almost every year since
Deddy passed away. Mama and Travis get
me worked up each year and I have a cuss fit. They actually provoke me to have it because
they seem to think its funny and I guess I do too. I’ve always appreciated the fact that mine
and Maria’s families live close together. We can get to most of our family within 15 minutes,
and for us that is a true blessing.
Tonight when we leave Mema Cameron’s, we will head to Mamers to continue
celebrating Christmas Eve with the Stewarts.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of
the traditions that I truly miss is decorating the house we grew up in. Travis lives there now and we continued to
decorate it until about 10 years ago. It
wasn’t that we didn’t want to do it. But
lack of time just became a problem. We
used to start decorating in October and by the weekend after Thanksgiving, we
had the house very bright! I’ve
considered assembling a team and returning Boyd Brafford Drive to Christmas
light glory, but we’ll have to give that more thought.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Church
has also been an important tradition in my life. I’ve always loved the decorations and beauty
of the church at Christmas. I know we
all love the cantatas, the children’s programs, the outpouring of love and the
story of our Savior. I am humbled by the
story of Jesus every time I hear it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we
celebrate Christmas this year, I hope that all of your families are blessed
with happiness and peace. We go through
so much during the year, that I think everyone deserves some time to spend together
and be with the ones we love. Just
remember, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which
is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” And
that’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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May God bless all of you and Merry Christmas!<o:p></o:p></div>
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-49530667964087446922017-09-13T16:08:00.002-07:002017-09-16T11:16:16.631-07:00Honor<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-tjLpaRFxOZpMxY8lSGWARSDgIiPRbSGU79g4uTJA3gW1qGLIGe7p0zEOHSQGbMmd_Lx0MxLWtx7OM-sya3JVqgatd9I9WIXSOVQtp0OtB7QOnkp01MPBSBBEOqM-_MD9E_qAjkf0DY/s1600/Brafford+Construction+Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-tjLpaRFxOZpMxY8lSGWARSDgIiPRbSGU79g4uTJA3gW1qGLIGe7p0zEOHSQGbMmd_Lx0MxLWtx7OM-sya3JVqgatd9I9WIXSOVQtp0OtB7QOnkp01MPBSBBEOqM-_MD9E_qAjkf0DY/s400/Brafford+Construction+Sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The evolution of social media has
changed the world for all of us. In some
ways, it is better and in some ways it is worse. I have traveled a lot in the last 7 years
and the aspect of social media that I have appreciated the most is keeping up with
what really matters in life, such as family.
Although people are often focused on how awesome I am, they forget that
I come from a very humble background. I
was raised to respect others, love family, and be grateful for everything. I can promise you, those values still hold
true with me today. As I have watched so
many of you go through the challenge of losing people you love, my heart goes
out to you. The pain of losing someone
is only helped by the hope and faith of being able to see them again one day. </div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The lives of everyone around me
changed on September 13<sup>th</sup>, 2000.
We were certainly sad, exhausted and relieved at the same time. When I think about my father’s last day on
Earth, I often think about 2 Timothy 4:7
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith.” He had rough days when he did
not feel good, he had regrets that he was not going to be around in the years
to come, and I’m sure he worried about not being here for his family. But one of the greatest attributes I will
remember about Deddy is that he simply accepted his fate and made every effort
to maintain a positive attitude until the very end. He was not mad at God, he did not feel like
he had been dealt a worse hand than anyone else, and he did not feel sorry for
himself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I believe that because of how Deddy
handled his demise, we only remember the good things about him and the times we
spent together. Sure, he had a lot of
challenges during his last year, but he was also blessed to actually be walking
around until the day before he passed away.
We reminisce about playing baseball during the summers, watching
ballgames together, hanging out with his brothers on the weekend around the
house, his voice of reason and calmness during the storms of life, his devotion
to his mother and father, his love for Mama, and his one-liners when he was
only being honest and not trying to be funny.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Uncle Boyd said they were talking
one day and he made the comment that he regretted he never would get
to see his grandchildren. Uncle Boyd
asked him if it might be more difficult if his grandchildren were already
here. Deddy thought about it for a
minute and told Uncle Boyd that he had a point.
Travis and his family live in the house that we grew up in. There have been several strange things to
happen while they have lived there. A
while back, Brooklyn (his 2 year old little girl) hit Colt and although it did
not really hurt him, Travis scolded her.
She was put in “Timeout.” Travis
said she was crying like he was beating her with a stick. In a few minutes, the house phone rang and
the number calling was 499-9750. Travis
answered the phone and nobody was on the other end. Then he called the number back only to get a
recording that the number had been disconnected. The significance of that story is that
499-9750 was Deddy’s business number for probably 30 years. I told Travis that he may want to think
before making Brooklyn cry again. There
have also been several times when Brooklyn seems to be smiling and waving at
someone when there is nobody there. I
can’t help but think that maybe Deddy is watching his grandchildren after all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I have often wondered if and what
people that have passed away can see. I
like to think that they can see the good things but are shielded from the
terrible things in this world. I hope
that Deddy can see his grandchildren. I
hope that he can see us coaching Colt’s teams as he grows up. I hope he knows that I have tried to follow
in his footsteps although I realize that I will never be as good of a man as he
was. I also hope the next time Travis
gives a “Timeout” that Deddy appears and says….”Travis, what do you think you are
doing!?” I hope that he can see us
golfing with Uncle Boyd on Sundays. I hope that he can see Travis and me taking
Mama shopping at Christmas but I hope he cannot hear my yearly meltdown that
they always provoke me to have. I just
hope that he can see the good times.
Because as the years continue to go by, he is missed more than he will
ever know. One of the most important lessons I
ever learned from my Father was taught by example. In this life, nothing you do or achieve
really matters unless you have honor.
And that is the creed that I live by. <o:p></o:p></div>
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-47113361017360261642017-06-17T22:59:00.000-07:002017-06-18T07:41:20.468-07:00The Essence of Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tsyS9Vhyc8CoUyMMElikKVjpcB02YF7yBzHrZhmiunPg6pxPanuUNv23HI9LQ13fVfaEZX0SSYNd704ne0euZDzfIDdd0CAnYnh0BkotsNkMUr-m1bibyDrttbc1-z32Uxae54DYhyphenhyphenQ/s1600/Deddy+Trophies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tsyS9Vhyc8CoUyMMElikKVjpcB02YF7yBzHrZhmiunPg6pxPanuUNv23HI9LQ13fVfaEZX0SSYNd704ne0euZDzfIDdd0CAnYnh0BkotsNkMUr-m1bibyDrttbc1-z32Uxae54DYhyphenhyphenQ/s320/Deddy+Trophies.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
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<b><i>“Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often,
and loved much; Who has gained the
respect of children; Who leaves the world better than they found it; who has never lacked appreciation for the
Earth’s beauty; Who never failed to look for the best in others and who always
gave the best of themselves.”</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
That quote hangs on my wall with this picture of Deddy. A few months before he died, we arranged his
trophies, awards, and plaques in his office and had him to sit with all of them
and take a picture. He had been voted into
the NC Hall of Honor just a few days before.
He laughed and asked us why in the world we wanted him to do that. I told him because he had earned it and he
sat down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
But the picture is not just of Deddy sitting with a bunch of
trophies. It’s not a picture of arrogance
nor of being too proud and it would not even begin to tell the story Travis and
I know. It shows a countless number of
hours on T-Ball, Little League, and Junior League fields. It shows long days picking up other kids
during the summers just so they could play ball. It shows so many times when he gave
encouragement in both victory and defeat.
It shows dedication to his community and the pride he took in helping so
many times in different ways. I see
friends to this day that immediately reminisce about playing ball during the
summers. Everybody that played on one of
his teams loves those memories. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
When you look at the trophies behind him, its easy to see
success. However, it does not show the
challenges he faced throughout his life. The years he got up before daylight to start
his day to provide for Mama, Travis and
me. It does not show the worry and
stress during times when the economy would slow down and it would be a lot
harder to make a living. It doesn’t show
the hours he worked at night just to get ready for the next day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I see so many of you on Facebook who have lost family
members. I know many of you have also
lost your father. I cannot tell you how
sympathetic I am for you because I know exactly how you feel. I still miss Deddy as much now as I did the
week after he passed away. I regret that
I cannot sit down and talk to him sometimes so he can help me make a
decision. He was on my mind even more
the last few years as Mama battled cancer and Mema Brafford’s health
declined. I often wondered if he knew
what was going on and what he could see.
I know that Mema Brafford saw him several times during her last few weeks
so I’m certain he was on her welcoming committee! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I certainly learned a lot from my father. He was always supportive and encouraging but
he also taught Travis and me respect. He
didn’t do that by force, but instead he led by example. That was one his best traits. He was respectful of everyone around him. He was a good son to his mother and
father. He was a good brother to Randy,
Sammy, and Uncle Boyd and anytime one of his brothers needed him, he was there
for them immediately. He respected my mother
and he appreciated everything she did for him as his own health declined. In turn, when Mama was battling cancer, I did
not hesitate to do everything I could to help her. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The saving grace of losing someone so close to you is
knowing that they are at peace and there is no more sickness or sorrow. I often wonder what and if they can see
anything. I hope he knows that I honored
my promise to him. I hope he can see how
much his grandson, Colton, looks like him.
I hope he can see Travis and me coaching T Ball games and he is reminded
of the fond memories that we have. I
hope he knows how much I miss him. I
hope he knows that so many people honor him often simply with a fond
memory. Deddy lived well, laughed often,
and loved much. Although his time on
Earth was not nearly as long as I would have liked, the example he set as a
father lives on through Travis and me. As
time passes by, if we can reflect on our own lives and see that we emulated
Deddy’s life, that will certainly be something that both of us can be proud
of. <o:p></o:p></div>
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-225411986579834202017-04-15T15:24:00.002-07:002017-04-15T15:28:19.868-07:00The Ten Commandments <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbfykn1p7hMDIC8Pa67H4Ypt4n3NuZxjVTDcjlNM-o71iQgthzhh1EsQ9oufUYFs24J3_MbR5wysqMJGvnRG7HF2QX41HvrYcMjOTqg9wJG5ehREPoIYll8F3l1iX-8xB-v80mmYaKtU/s1600/ten_commandments%2521%2521%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbfykn1p7hMDIC8Pa67H4Ypt4n3NuZxjVTDcjlNM-o71iQgthzhh1EsQ9oufUYFs24J3_MbR5wysqMJGvnRG7HF2QX41HvrYcMjOTqg9wJG5ehREPoIYll8F3l1iX-8xB-v80mmYaKtU/s400/ten_commandments%2521%2521%2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Well, well, well. It's that time of the year again. Spring is coming, flowers are blooming, Easter is just around the corner, and "The Ten Commandments" is once again coming on television!<br />
<br />
This of course is my favorite movie of all time. Now, I know for a lot of you that have heard me recite every line from "Silence of the Lambs," that may be somewhat of a surprise. But I think it’s great. You have to admit, it is one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible and the movie is certainly one of the most cinematic movies of all time.<br />
<br />
There are a number of things about the movie that run through my mind each time I watch it. To begin with, Pharoah and anyone that followed him must have had some sort of learning disability. Now, I can somewhat see the thought process of Pharoah; he had all the wealth, owned the entire city and ruled everyone. But it is still a little hard to believe, that in the end, someone could be stupid enough to banish Moses from the “world”. To banish someone he once considered a son just because he had sympathy for a population of slaves and the horrible conditions in which they lived and worked.<br />
<br />
After Moses was disowned by Pharoah, Rameses was loving life. Moses had been the thorn in Rameses' side his whole life. His father loved Moses more, his woman was in love with Moses, and Moses proved to be a better engineer, military leader, and was more highly respected throughout Egypt. So, when they found out Moses was a slave, don't you know that Rameses was elated! Even then, everyone was ready to accept him. But when Moses admits to Pharoah that he would free the slaves if he could, he is considered a threat and is banished forever from Egypt. As the life of Moses continues, he is called by God to be the deliverer of the Hebrew people. He did not even know God, but Joshua told Moses that God knew him! Instead of executing Moses, Ramses sends him out into the desert with the intentions of him dying a sufferable death. However, not only does Moses not die, he finds God and comes to truly understand his purpose.<br />
<br />
At this point in the movie, the story really begins to unfold. Pharoah dies and Rameses becomes King of Egypt. Almost immediately, God directs Moses to return to Egypt to lead the Hebrew people out of bondage. Moses goes to Rameses and demands that the slaves are freed. Of course, Rameses saw this as preposterous considering they had an army, owned and ruled the city, lived a lavish lifestyle and owned all the slaves. So from his point of view, who cared about this "God" that Moses worshipped?<br />
<br />
As the story continues, instead of Rameses yielding to logic and reason, his ability to be rational and intelligent are obviously NOT options. God curses Egypt with multiple plagues, yet Ramses refuses to free the slaves. I always contemplate, what if I was one of the Egyptian guards? It would be like this..."Ok, let's think about this rationally Rameses, you have an army and complete power and this guy has a stick. You threw snakes at him and his stick turned into a snake and ate your snakes. I haven't had a drink of water in forever because it’s all blood now. Frogs, gnats, and locust have eaten everything but Nefeteria's eyebrows. We have boils all over us and its hailing fire. And oh yeah, by the way, it has been so dark for 3 days that I can't see my hand in front of my face. Seriously, I realize that your logic has been altered since your hairdresser told you that a long pony tail on one side of your head would be a strong look for you and your son. But you keep talking to that black statue with a bird's head on it. What has he done so far? Stand there and look stupid while the God of Moses sends one plague after another? Therefore, here is my sword and my armor. I am putting on one of those potato sack robes and I am going with Moses because his God is God! Oh, and by the way, so let it be written, so let it be done!" The story would be very different if I lived back them.<br />
<br />
Moses finally tells Rameses that "the next plague brought onto Egypt will come from your mouth". But the genius, Rameses says, "Oh yeah, anymore plagues brought on to us, and I'll kill the first born of every Hebrew family." This is my part again "Hey Pharoah, are you trying to be stupid? Yeah, remember me? I was in your army last week but I wised up pretty quick. Are you sure you don't want to take that back?" And Rameses says "Nope, I am the KING.” What happens? A mean, green fog of death floats through Egypt and kills all of the first born of Egyptian families. All of the first born of Hebrew slaves were protected by the mark of lambs blood, therefore the death “passed over” their homes. THEN, Rameses relented and let the slaves go. "Well, way to go Pharoah! See, it didn't really take that much to convince you!?"<br />
<br />
Next thing you know, the city is cleared of slaves and they are all gone. What was Rameses doing? He was worshipping the bird head man to bring his son back to life. At this point I'm thinking "Really? That's your plan?" Of course Nefeteria, who loved him SO MUCH comes in, mocks him, and DARES him to chase the slaves down and kill Moses. You would think at this point he would say, "Nefeteria, why don't you shut that windsock that keeps flapping in the wind before I go postal." But no, he says, "Oh yeah, I'll chase Moses down and bring his blood back on my sword!" Did the burning bush cause him to reconsider? Nope. Did it cross his mind that it might not be a real good idea to send his entire army into the sea that God divided for the slaves to cross through? Nope.<br />
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So, after watching his army destroyed by the sea and the slaves shooting off fireworks on the other side, Pharoah goes home with his gimpy horse. And what does his sweet wife ask? "Where is the blood of Moses?" Once again, if I could be in this scene, it would be better..."Ummmm, Nefi, listen up....in case you didn't notice, you just suffered through 10 plagues. Your little boy is deceased and its your husband's fault. All of the slaves have hit the trail, and just to remind you of what is going on, Rameses left here a few days ago with 10,000 soldiers. Unless I have severe cataracts, it appears that he has come home with just his horse and one of Willie Nelson's braids hanging off the side of his head. Does it appear to you that he rode back in with a posture of victory, or of a sad clown who can't juggle? If he has the blood of Moses on his sword, he found one of his worn out Band-Aids from that long desert walk and he rubbed the blood on his sword. Moses prayed for the Red Sea to be divided, walked through it, then ascended up the mountain to talk to directly to God. So, you and ‘silly hair’ can go over there and talk to birdman. Hey by the way, you got any Sweet Tea, I am parched!"<br />
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Of course, the stupidity does not end there. After being in slavery for hundreds of years, freed, then seeing the burning bush protect them, walking through the middle of a divided sea, and finally reaching the other side, the SLAVES were becoming restless. I have to slap myself to understand this. In the meantime, Moses goes up the mountain to directly talk to God and was given the 10 Commandments. But guess what, Dathan convinces the people that they need a gold bull to worship. If I could physically beat up one person in this story, it would definitely be Dathan. At this point I am saying "What in the wide world of sports is going on?" The Hebrew people turn to sin and immorality. That is until Moses walks back down the mountain with the commandments. My character would now be yelling "I told ya'll he was going to be angry!" Moses throws the commandments at them and total calamity ensues killing many of the people who had dismissed God turned to sin.<br />
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By the end of his life, Moses has the people of Israel traveling like a normal group toward the promise land. However, Moses doesn't make it. It is time for him to climb the golden staircase. He got them there, and now it is up to them to make good choices through life. The truly epic story of the entire life of Moses is why I love this movie.<br />
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For most people, you have parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches etc. that make an effort to guide you and give you good advice. Now I know some adults are not good role models and actually are harmful to children. However, most of us have people around us to give good advice. Somewhere along the line, we all have at least one person that reaches out to us and attempts to help us follow the right path through life. But just like the end of the "10 Commandments," someone can lead you to the promise land and show you where its at, but the decision is up to you from that point on as to what kind of life you decide to lead.<br />
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As I have followed so many friends this past year, a know a lot of you have had challenges, health concerns and even the loss of loved ones. However, keep in mind that this weekend there will be a beautiful celebration in Heaven. Jesus Christ died to help us through the difficulties of this world and to give us an opportunity for forgiveness. No matter what we are faced with, the Lord knows our need. One of the hardest things in life is faith and that's something that we all need to keep.<br />
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May God bless all of you this Easter. And as you watch "The Ten Commandments" tonight, I hope my version will bring all of you a little laughter.K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-51722732761840483252017-04-07T17:53:00.000-07:002017-04-07T18:05:29.692-07:00Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4KFfv4j6fjFPpHu1QXPJoxEP3al6vi7e2emEuI124zrgYLGTK7nhV8Yh_agIYTT-JfDkRouUZ_wuSv2rMbH0sEWeJW86akLKEhyphenhyphenam1T0MiTomPpyMWBREmi2QNaNdStT_eOSc2H5RDg/s1600/Mema+Brafford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4KFfv4j6fjFPpHu1QXPJoxEP3al6vi7e2emEuI124zrgYLGTK7nhV8Yh_agIYTT-JfDkRouUZ_wuSv2rMbH0sEWeJW86akLKEhyphenhyphenam1T0MiTomPpyMWBREmi2QNaNdStT_eOSc2H5RDg/s320/Mema+Brafford.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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My family has always been
close. I feel so fortunate to have lived
a life with a family that genuinely cares so much for one another. It meant even more the year that Deddy
battled cancer. There were always family
and friends around. I think to have a
family that truly cares, is more of a blessing in this life than anything else. As I have traveled all over the U.S. the last
7 years, I’ve seen a lot of homeless people.
I always feel so sorry for someone that is homeless because it breaks my
heart that for whatever reason, they don’t have a family around them. A good friend of mine was with me one time
when I rolled down my window and handed a homeless person some money. He asked me if I did that all the time and I
told him “no.” Then he asked me why I
did it sometimes instead of never doing it, or doing it all the time. My answer was simple, sometimes I feel led to
do it. Honestly, that’s not me being a
good person, that’s the Lord telling me to do it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This past week my grandmother
passed away. She lived 89 years and she
had a wonderful life in my opinion. She
was never wealthy, she never lived in a mansion, and she was not a member of
high society in any way. But what she
did have was a family. She moved to Boyd
Brafford Rd about 70 years ago when she and Papa got married. She grew up outside of Sanford where they
were accustomed to “going to town” on a regular basis. She told me one time when she moved out to
Harnett County, she thought she had moved to the moon! For her, it was a long ways from
civilization. But she and Papa made a
good life for themselves. She had four
sons, Boyd Jr., Bob (my father), Sammy, and Randy. All four of her sons grew up in a home where
they felt loved by two parents that made every effort to provide for them
everything they needed. They can
remember things like when they got indoor plumbing, when they had electricity
connected to the house, and when they had a new well dug by hand. Mema and Papa Brafford had a wonderful
marriage but it wasn’t always like the Cleavers. They would make each other so mad sometimes
you would think one of them would blow a gasket. But at the end of the day, they loved each
other. They set a precedent for everyone
else as to how to be a family. They
cared for their children, they cared for their grandchildren, they cared for
each other’s family, and they were always respectful of each other.<br />
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Mema Brafford was quite a
character. She was going to get her
“hair done” on Thursdays no matter what.
She had a very mild stroke a few years ago and literally had to pull
over on the side of the road. After she
got herself together, instead of going to the doctor, she continued to her
standing appointment to get her hair fixed!
She liked to pick a guitar and she liked to listen to the radio. She loved going to church. She enjoyed going to eat lunch with some of
her family and friends whenever she could. She liked to go to K-Mart and look around
while she waited to get medicine filled.
To her, neither Wal-Mart nor Target held a candle to K-Mart. She loved to plant flowers. She loved birds and she kept a hummingbird
feeder on her porch all the time. There
was not a person on the planet that loved her dogs more than she did. A man who grew up with my father and uncles,
told me not long ago that everyone who lived in Harnett County knew the last
thing you ever wanted to do was do ANYTHING to an animal on Boyd Brafford
Rd. The consequences for that were not
good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mema Brafford had 8 brothers and
sisters. None of them lived to be older
than 67. All of them died of cancer
except two. Her oldest brother was
killed in a car crash and her youngest brother died of a massive heart
attack. Her first sister to pass away
was only in her 40’s. It seems like
during my entire childhood, one of Mema’s family members were dying from
cancer. Even most of her sibling’s
spouses died from cancer. Each time someone
in the family was battling cancer, Mema was always very involved to help as
much as she could. But the most difficult illness I ever saw Mema
deal with, was my father’s battle with cancer.
I think my uncles would agree, Deddy was a “Mama’s boy.” That year took a toll on everybody, and it
certainly did on Mema and Papa. Deddy
had a special relationship with Mema. He
was always good to her but he could also give her some “tough love” if it was
necessary. I am certain that when she
passed away, Deddy was one of the very first angels to greet her. Papa told me one time that no parent should
ever have to bury a child, no matter how old they are. But to think about how many loved ones Mema
outlived, it really is incredible. As
her health declined the last several weeks, I contemplated that she had a lot
more family and friends waiting for her on the other side than she had left
here. I know Deddy was elated to see his Mama.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mema Brafford had a terrific
quality of life until her last few months.
She was still driving herself around until about a year ago. She was able to enjoy family gatherings,
lunches, and visits. I will remember so
many funny things that I heard her say through the years. I will remember that she would tell me that
certain things I would say were mean, but at the same time she would be
laughing like crazy about what I said. I
will remember how much she loved all of us.
Literally, 10 minutes before she took her final breath, she told us that
she “loved all of us.” She was not
alone when she passed away, but had her 3 sons by her side and a room full of
grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Her last day, she indicated several times that my father was there. She spoke about a beautiful farm with a
stream that she had visited already and she walked around and talked to Jesus. She said on that farm was every dog she had
ever had. She also went swimming with
her brothers, sisters and her father in a river. As she always did, her mother sat on the bank
and waited for them as they swam. She said that she wanted them to come back
and get her and take her back to Heaven.
She specifically mentioned Papa Brafford and her brother J.A. So even in the end, as her body gave out to a
long life, she was never alone. She was
also not alone as she passed on to God’s Kingdom. Her entire life was built on a foundation of
family, and because of that, Mema Brafford passed away a rich woman. As a family, we can all take comfort knowing
with absolute certainty, all is well with her soul. <o:p></o:p></div>
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-8951067506238539112016-12-24T14:52:00.001-08:002016-12-24T22:22:30.055-08:00The Reason I Believe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVUQATEv-jID9QtFBknGexf-CexlIntnt8D8Zxj3lWtgTGMmbCBurvR_xOmtcZrYfcmocNMjKeOT3KVTAgc6N6mCJAOC76K0TUsMPqoP46v7O-s4gmp4xUsghXtOTFosjHqGqOt6EE78/s1600/star+of+Bethlehem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVUQATEv-jID9QtFBknGexf-CexlIntnt8D8Zxj3lWtgTGMmbCBurvR_xOmtcZrYfcmocNMjKeOT3KVTAgc6N6mCJAOC76K0TUsMPqoP46v7O-s4gmp4xUsghXtOTFosjHqGqOt6EE78/s320/star+of+Bethlehem2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are a lot of reasons I could
give credit for the fact that I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and
Savior. I was fortunate enough to be
born into a Christian family. My mother taught me to pray as a child. I went to church with my mother and father
and Mema Cameron growing up. I also
attended Bible School at several churches.
I was involved with the youth group at Barbecue Presbyterian Church. There were people all around me that
supported the fact that I was committed to church even as a young man. But although all of these reasons were
influences, none of them are the reason for my faith.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The story of Jesus Christ is
personally the greatest historical recount that I know. Jesus was born both in controversy and
celebration. A king wanted him dead even
as a baby but the wise men knew he was the Savior. He was aware of his
relationship to the world even as a child.
Most of the years of Jesus are undocumented and we aren’t sure of all of
the facts during that part of his life.
Of course, we know the last short time of his life and how he died. Through the Bible and understanding of God’s
word, we know why he died…..for you and for me, so that we can spend eternity
with him if we accept him as our Lord and Savior. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It breaks my heart to think about
what he went through. For someone to do
good their whole life, to help others, to heal the sick, share wisdom, help the
destitute and teach people around him to do good and be kind to others is truly
a blessing. Then for that person to be
accused of blasphemy, mocked, ridiculed, publicly humiliated, found guilty,
beaten, tortured, and executed simply because people in power were afraid of
him is heartbreaking. To think that
Jesus endured all of that to save the very people doing it, and all of us, is
extremely humbling to me. Although the
Bible and all of the significant stories that shaped Christianity gives us a lot
of answers, and a guide to follow, it is not the reason for my faith. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are a number of influences in
my life that have encouraged my spiritual growth. The real reason for my faith
is something that has always been within me. As a child, I could feel the presence of
God. My mother would warn me that if I
did certain things, I would make Jesus cry.
Even as a child, I NEVER wanted to make Jesus cry! I don’t just feel drawn to God during
critical or challenging times. I am
drawn to God when things seem to be going great. But I will admit, during my lowest points in
life, when I have felt helpless and could not see light at the end of the
tunnel, I could feel the presence of God like I cannot explain. It wasn’t wishful thinking or unrealistic
hope. Whenever I’ve been faced with difficult
circumstances, I have felt peace that everything would be alright. I have never felt forsaken by God at any time
in my life. I have been hurt, and
regretted that I did not have better answers, but I did not feel like God had
left me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A year ago, my family was
supporting my Mother as she battled cancer.
The situation was difficult, it was grueling for her physically and
emotionally. I know there were time when
she did not feel like she could go on.
But I personally believe what helped her through was so many people
praying for her. A year later, the cancer is gone and she is feeling much
better. During that time, I always felt
like God was with us. There are many of our friends and family battling
difficult circumstances this year. I
would encourage all of you to keep Lacy O’Quinn, Drew Blalock, Brandy Currin
Thomas, and Gabe Langdon’s family in your thoughts and prayers this Christmas. All of these families are dealing with
difficult circumstances and the least we can do is love, support, and pray for
them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> I am not sure why I can feel the
presence of God as strong as I can sometimes.
However, I am grateful that I can.
I believe that it’s one of the reasons that I love Christmas so
much. I believe in the story of Jesus
Christ with all of my heart. I hope all
of you have time to spend with family, friends, and love ones during
Christmas. Take the time to tell your
friends and family just how much they mean to you. You just never know what circumstances may
exist before next Christmas. </span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> May
God bless all of you and I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!!!</span></b>K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-214477538879507042016-11-23T21:07:00.002-08:002016-11-24T05:50:37.211-08:00Dorothy was Right<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaRMwVveYo0wbW-dXuV09zo_p3oq6KykLqcSKVAQQkdXnnINd82ucnGrdh81CwpizhqQkyZ9NhkNAeK9VqYQW1H3zPvY1opdvofGmsB74tO2DaQlXitFFI_BlZOsahEKB85LG9pKokSA/s1600/CharlieBrownThanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaRMwVveYo0wbW-dXuV09zo_p3oq6KykLqcSKVAQQkdXnnINd82ucnGrdh81CwpizhqQkyZ9NhkNAeK9VqYQW1H3zPvY1opdvofGmsB74tO2DaQlXitFFI_BlZOsahEKB85LG9pKokSA/s320/CharlieBrownThanksgiving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I was a little boy I thought my father was incapable of
crying. I also thought that Uncle Boyd
was born without tear ducts. But during
an economic downturn in the early 80’s, Deddy decided that we were going to
move to Louisiana so he could work on an oil rig. Of course, this was a hard transition
considering our family had always lived around each other. The night before we left, Uncle Boyd and Aunt
Gail came to the house one last time to say “goodbye.” When they were leaving, Deddy and Uncle Boyd
started crying like children. Two people
that I thought could easily kill a grizzly bear with only their hands, were so
upset that they were actually crying. It
is a memory that has never left me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the last several months, we have all watched a political
process filled with a lot more acrimony and hostility than unity and
inspiration. It is hard for me to
believe the dissention that I have watched between people, in person and on
Facebook. I believe this election has
caused friction between friends more than any in other previous years. Personally, I think its ignorant when someone
seems to forget that in a democracy, EVERYONE is entitled to their own opinion,
whether you agree with them or not. I think I speak for a lot of Americans when
I say that I’m truly glad that it’s over.
But I still believe that the malicious hostility that we have watched
over the last year is not really a representation of most Americans. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I have always been proud to be from rural North
Carolina. We still have a great sense of
community. People care about one
another, we watch out for each other and we support our friends and family when
they are going through hard times. A few
weeks ago, I participated in a charity event for two children battling leukemia
and it was quite humbling. You can check out<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Community-Benefit-for-Drew-Blalock-and-Lacy-OQuinn-1279745322037206/?fref=ts" target="_blank"> Drew and Lacy's Event</a> by clicking this link. Hundreds of
volunteers put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to make the event a
success. They sold thousands of plates,
the silent auction was a great success, and the raffle did terrific. Everyone was committed to helping Drew, Lacy,
and their respective families. At the
end of the day, each family spoke about how grateful they were, how much they
appreciated the incredible dedication of the volunteers, and how thankful they
were for their community. Lacy’s father,
David O’Quinn, and I have been friends since high school. He started out by saying that he was going to
try hard not to get emotional but he certainly was not making any
promises. I was sitting only a few feet
away from him when he was talking and when he said that, I stared at the floor
the rest of the time he spoke because I was overwhelmed. The most significant attribute of each family
was how grateful they all were. Both
families have been through a lot, but they both have hope, optimism, and faith
that Lacy and Drew will get through this and enjoy a life filled with love and
support. As you looked around a room
filled with hundreds of people, you saw love, respect, humility, and
appreciation for one another. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A year ago, Mama was going through her own battle with
cancer. What a difference a year
makes. She has had some lingering issues
with her back, but we are truly grateful
for how far she has come and the fact that she is cancer free. There are no words to express how grateful
you are for family, friends, and prayer during times of great stress. We were discussing the fundraiser for Drew
and Lacy and she told me how she has been praying for both of them. She said that no child should ever have to
endure something like cancer. I could
not agree with her more, but I also regret that anyone has to endure any
tremendous illness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In a world that is changing more rapidly than we can hardly
keep up with, sometimes we forget just how blessed we are to live in America
and have opportunity and abundance all around us. We take for granted that we have a warm,
comfortable home to live in, running water, electricity, an excessive supply of
food, and more than we need of everything.
We have the freedom to make our own choices. We truly are a blessed nation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am grateful that I was raised in an area that has a sense
of community even now. At the charity
event for Drew and Lacy, I saw thousands of people participate that day. But it wasn’t strangers, it was family,
friends, neighbors and people that genuinely care about each other. I will never forget how much I missed home
when we lived in Louisiana. I miss home
even when I’m traveling. Dorothy was
right, there’s just no place like home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope that all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that all of you have the opportunity
to be with family, friends, and loved ones.
This is truly the time of year to appreciate all that we have to be
grateful for. May God Bless all of you this Thanksgiving.<o:p></o:p></div>
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-65283158657774172752016-10-30T18:37:00.000-07:002016-10-30T18:38:46.667-07:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ckJMdGmNHjB1zhPQvj7oG0IPWNmv2sAfwsV_bDETfu341rO64-4tEhjs5WVlKZ0LGaTLfzjuRg3KkyKnaPBbxoeJ1LY_sF68cYVYqVxiG-9xsArTPmhu7RA_Psl3vAKnpC_V-SIVcNY/s1600/Welcome+Great+Pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ckJMdGmNHjB1zhPQvj7oG0IPWNmv2sAfwsV_bDETfu341rO64-4tEhjs5WVlKZ0LGaTLfzjuRg3KkyKnaPBbxoeJ1LY_sF68cYVYqVxiG-9xsArTPmhu7RA_Psl3vAKnpC_V-SIVcNY/s400/Welcome+Great+Pumpkin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In honor of Halloween, I thought it would be interesting to
share a few ghost stories that pertain to my own family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When Mama was pregnant with me, my Great Grandpa Cameron was
extremely excited. He was certain I would
be a boy and he could not wait.
Unfortunately, he had a massive heart attack and died in October before
I was born in December. One night, not
long after I was born, Mama woke up and went to check on me and make sure I was
OK. When she walked into my room, she
saw her Grandfather Cameron standing there with a woman just looking at me. She said she was not scared at all and she
did not interrupt. The next day she was
telling the story and of course it was met with lots of laughter and jokes! A few days later, she was talking to Mema
Brafford about her Grandfather and the lady she did not recognize. Mema began to ask her questions about the
lady. She asked Mama, “Well, do you
remember what she had on?” Mama
replied, “Yes” and described in detail what she had on. Mema Brafford immediately recognized the outfit. It was what my Great Grandma Brafford was
wearing when she was buried!! This was
years before Mama and Deddy ever started dating and she did not attend the
funeral. Ironically, my Great Grandpa
Cameron and my Great Grandma Brafford had actually been very good friends
before they both passed away. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another story pertains to Mema Brafford. She had 8 brothers and sisters. She is the only one left and the last brother
that passed away, died 17 years ago! Years
ago, her brother Herman had cancer and was really having a difficult time the
last few weeks of his life. Mema went to
stay with him most nights. One night she
woke up during the night and saw her father and one of her sisters walk down
the hall into Herman’s room. She said the
room lit up like the sun was in the room.
Just a few minutes later, she saw her mother and another sister walking
down the hall and also went into the room.
She was mortified and was not sure what to do so she just stayed on the
couch and didn’t move!! A while later,
the light went out and she didn’t know what in the world to think. The next day she did not say and word to
Herman but he mentioned it to her. “Mama,
Deddy, Prudie, and Sadie came to see me last night, and they said they’ll be
back to get me soon.” Mema really didn’t
want to talk about it and gave Herman a vague response. However, he explained to her, “they told me
that they will come in the form of a white dove, and they’ll guide me home.” Well, Mema didn’t know what to think so the
only two people she told was Mama and Deddy and they kept it to
themselves. Just a few days later,
Herman passed away. His funeral was held
at Bridges and Cameron in Sanford. The
family left the funeral home and drove to Gulf where he was buried. After the funeral, the family gathered at
Mema and Papa Brafford’s house and were just sitting around talking. One of the family members chimed in and said.... “The strangest thing happened today when we
left the funeral home, as we pulled out onto the road, a WHITE DOVE got between
our car and the hearse and flew back and forth all the way to Gulf. When we got
to the grave yard, it just flew off.”
Obviously, Mema’s story was not near as crazy as she thought it was.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When Deddy was sick, several odd things happened. He was walking around the day before he died
and that itself was certainly something to be grateful for. However, he was feeble and a lot of times
when he would get up, one of us would grab him by the arm and help him up. One day I was in the bedroom with him and we
were just watching TV. He decided he
wanted to get up and I grabbed his right arm.
Without even batting an eye, he reached out with his left arm and said, “Harold,
help me up” and he kind of grinned like Harold needed to get with the program. You remember the Mema Brafford’s brother I
mentioned that died 17 years ago? He died
3 months before Deddy did. His name was
Harold. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The last several weeks Deddy was living he had good days and
he had bad days. One day was
particularly bad and he wasn’t even talking a whole lot. There were a number of us sitting in the room
with him and I was leaning against the wall.
I thought he motioned for me to sit down on the end of the bed, so I
did. He immediately said in a really
raspy voice, “No, not you!” and he gave me a look like “could you be a little
bit more considerate?” Travis spoke up
and said, “ROBBIE, he wasn’t talking to
you!!” I immediately sprang up from the
bed like I was on a trampoline! Have I
mentioned that I am scared of ghosts, whether I can see them or not?! Well, I AM!!! After I stood up, he motioned for whoever he
could see to sit down and he was content. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Happy Halloween everybody!!!! I hope all the kids get lots of candy and have a great time! Be careful and stay safe!</div>
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-6305036570991980572016-09-13T17:45:00.000-07:002016-09-13T17:45:04.423-07:00Three Things Will Carry On Forever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are not a lot of things in this world that I hate, but I do hate cancer. It is the one thing in this world that I hate the most. I would include how I really feel, but I do not want to scare some of the people that may read this article. It has no friends, it does nothing good for anyone, and only causes pain and suffering for millions of people every day, all the time, nonstop. One of the best speeches that I’ve ever heard was by Jim Valvano. I think all of us that heard him make his last speech at the ESPYS will always remember him saying, “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.”
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I was talking with one of Deddy’s doctors at Johns Hopkins many years ago and we were discussing the conspiracy that there actually may be a cure for cancer but there is so much money involved with treating it, that the government will not allow the cure to be utilized. He was adamant that if he was aware of a cure, he would tell the world with great enthusiasm. He said that there would always be another disease for the medical profession to work on. We discussed the challenges with fighting cancer and that the problem is, unlike a virus, it is a mutation of cells. With a virus, you can put it in a petri dish and constantly search for medical ingredients to combat the virus. He indicated to me that the medical community is sure that certain habits make people more at risk for cancer. However, he felt like we will eventually discover that a combination of things we use every day, likely make us more prone to develop cancer.
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I don’t know one person that has not been affected by cancer. My Papa Cameron died from it. My father died from it. My Mema Brafford had 7 of her 8 brothers and sisters to die from cancer. When I look back on my childhood, it honestly seems to me that one of her brothers or sisters were dying my whole life until they were all gone. My mother had a tough battle with it, but she is doing better every day. I’ve watched many family friends battle and pass away from this horrible disease.
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Even though this is a dreaded disease, I don’t want to relent to the sadness that it causes. So let’s move forward. Cancer is one of the diseases that actually brings us closer together. With tragedy, there is often unity. When Deddy was sick, the support we received was incredible. It was the same way when Mama was going through treatment, surgery, and recovery. The calls, the cards, the emails, the notes of encouragement were overwhelming. I even talked to my own family a lot more. When you are going through a challenging situation, it’s a blessing to know people are praying for you every day. Nobody needs to fight this disease alone.
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Our own community has several children and friends battling cancer right now. But we are all praying. You can see on Facebook how people are rallying around these families. During times like this, you often see the best attributes in people. That is one of the best characteristics of the area we live in. As the world continues to grow, we are fortunate to live in an area that still has a sense of community. You cannot imagine until it happens to you, how much encouragement it gives a family to feel the support of their community. It’s both humbling and overwhelming. We have two children in this area that are battling cancer right now, Drew Blalock and Lacy O'Quinn. I would encourage all of you to click on the link to their Facebook page and please keep their fundraiser in mind. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1748644422081648/" target="_blank">Prayers for Lacy and Drew</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1748644422081648/"></a><br />
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Today marks 16 years since Deddy passed away. I’ve honestly never gotten over his passing and I don’t believe I ever will. I know he’s in a better place. I know he is healed. But I still regret that he was not able to live a little longer. A few more ball games to watch, a few more westerns, a few more rounds of golf, and a lot more advice. Cancer gradually did take away his physical abilities. But it did not touch his mind, it did not touch his heart, and it did not touch his soul. And those are the three things that will carry on forever.
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-56975880816015147562016-03-27T15:54:00.003-07:002016-04-07T12:06:47.333-07:00The Crosses That We Bear
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The Bible is very clear that God was often very stern as the world began to evolve. The Lord thought that the world had become too wicked in their ways so he instructed Noah to build an Arc to save his family, but destroyed everyone else. He also became angry about the evil that had spread throughout Sodom and Gomorrah, so he destroyed them too. He guided Moses to free the Hebrew slaves and at the same time, destroyed Egypt with plagues and the Red Sea. Although we have an instruction book in the Bible, and life is much better when we abide by the laws and rules God has established, humanity has failed God time and time again.
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The Roman Empire dismissed God and still conquered much of the world. God could have once again destroyed the world, brought plagues, annihilated cities or done anything else he thought was justified. But, he didn’t. Instead, God decided to save us all by sending his only son to save this world. I don’t understand why it had to happen like that, but it’s not for us to know exactly why. At the same time, God does not owe us an explanation. The only thing humanity needs to do is be grateful.
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The story of Jesus is without a doubt, the most incredible story to ever occur. He was born to a poor couple in a barn with only a few “wise men” realizing his significance. We only know about a few years of his life at all. During the last few years of his life, Jesus gathered a group of disciples, peacefully spread the word of God, healed countless people, performed numerous miracles and taught people to forgive others.
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We all see people going through trials and tribulations in life. As my Mother dealt with cancer the last 6 months, it was easy to see just how quick life can change. I have watched her suffer through chemo, radiation, depression, and two surgeries. It’s been emotionally and psychologically draining for our whole family as her circumstances changed sometimes by the hour. But you know what we all feel? Grateful. I cannot thank God enough for the blessings he has given my Mother.
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As I walked around the hospital almost every day, I saw patients and family members that I felt certain did not have the optimistic prognosis that Mama had. My heart and my prayers constantly went out for people as I walked around. Our family was bombarded with words of encouragement, emails, phone calls, cards and promises of prayers. I accidentally called a customer one night and hung up when I realized his number was dialing. Mama had just went into her second surgery because her feeding tube had become loose. The man called me back and he knew I was upset because I could barely talk. He prayed for me and my family right then and there and encouraged me to leave everything in the Lord’s hands because God knew the needs of my mother.
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Another great friend of mine named Stephon Goode, who went to Carolina with me, came to see Mama at the hospital. Stephon is a great guy and he is also a Pastor at Union Grove Baptist Church. He visited with us for a while, said a prayer with us, gave me a hug and told me to keep in touch. The next day, his brother was in a terrible car accident and was in critical condition. Another reminder that you just never know when a family may have challenges to endure. His brother is rehabilitating and they are optimistic that he will make a full recovery.
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This world is plagued with problems. There are wars all over the world, acrimony at every turn, and dissension constantly between people. As I travel across America, I see some rough places. It astonishes me when I go through areas where so many buildings are abandoned and destroyed, trash is all over the streets, and it seems that nobody could care less. If the world has ever been deserving of an intervention by God, it’s now.
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But Jesus has saved us all. Jesus gave us the promise that we can obtain salvation. Without him, we would all be doomed. His time here on earth was much like ours. He experienced every type of emotion a person can have. He saw our flaws and how misguided human beings can be. Regardless, he was still committed to saving us. Even as people yelled “Crucify him,” Jesus still wanted to save them. He anguished in the garden in Gethsamane but was still willing to do the will of God no matter what. He was mocked, brutally beaten, and nailed to a cross. A crown of thorns was placed on his head for further ridicule. Then he was stationed high on a hill so the world could watch him die. For all of this, Jesus still said “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”. All the power of the universe at his disposal, and yet he suffered through to save us all.
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We all have our own crosses to bear. However, I am convinced that no matter how heavy your cross is, someone else has a cross even heavier. On this Easter Sunday, keep in mind that no matter how heavy your cross may feel, it will never be as heavy as the cross Jesus carried. What should be humbling to all of us is that Jesus did not carry a cross for himself, but he carried it so that OUR sins could be forgiven and we could have salvation. For that, we should all be truly grateful.
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-40688631514187590702015-12-07T18:27:00.001-08:002017-11-21T17:43:25.646-08:00The Sword of Brenda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we were growing up, one of the recurring themes Travis and I heard from our mother was that she would NEVER tolerate either of us beating on a girlfriend or a wife. No matter how old we were, she would not allow us to cause a woman emotional or physical abuse. If we ever did make such a ridiculous error in judgment, we would suffer at the hands of “the sword.”
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Travis and I heard the story of “the sword” many times in our lives. I don’t know why because neither of us ever gave any indication that we would be abusive. But the story would always surface when Mama would hear a story of someone being in an abusive relationship. Mama is truly one of greatest story tellers that I have had the fortune of being around during my life. I just had a feeling that many of you would enjoy “The Sword of Brenda.”
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So the subject would generally become the topic of conversation when someone that we knew or being covered in the news had a physical confrontation. Mama would go into the “lesson” that we heard many times. She would start out by explaining how wrong it was for a man to beat a woman as a show of force. She felt that if a relationship ever got to that point, a couple either needed counseling or the relationship had run its course. Then she would explain… “If either one of you boys ever decide to hit on your girlfriend or wife, do you want to know what I’m going to do? Do you?” Now, considering we were never like that anyway, we really didn’t need to hear what she would do but it was not optional to listen to what her reaction would be.
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So, she would continue as only Mama could…. “I’m going to get a sword. A big, long, super sharp sword.” With this explanation she would spread her arms apart as far as she could to reinforce just how long this sword would be. “It will be a sword from a great Samurai warrior who did NOT beat on his wife.” Because, a sword from a Samurai warrior that DID beat on his wife I guess would not be worth a damn! “And I’m going to hold it over my head like this” as she held the imaginary 8 foot long, razor sharp sword HIGH over her head.
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“Then when you walk in, I’m going to ask you how your day has been.” As if we would not be suspicious of our mother holding a sword over her head, but ok. “Then I’m going ask you if hitting on a woman makes you feel good.” With this, she would stretch her arms as high as she could get them. “AND THEN, in one single swoop,” as she sliced through the air with her imaginary sword, “I’m going to cut your ‘nunads’ right off!” Trust me, no man alive likes the thought of a sword cutting off that part of his body. We would always cringe at the thought, but if you think the story is over, think again.
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So she would continue…. “Then you know what I’m going to do?” I mean really, at this point, we got the message. “I’m going to take your nunads and ROLL THEM IN GLUE! Then you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to roll them in glitter!” So have you figured out by now, that our mother had her own way of making a point to Travis and myself? “THEN, I’m going to attach some SILVER hooks to them and make EARRINGS out of them!”
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Ok, so how terrible is that thought, really? Apparently, not terrible enough. “Then I’m going to wear them at Christmas!” So now she is walking around the living room as if she is strolling through the mall. “Then, I’m going to see somebody I know and they are going to tell me that they LOVE my earrings!” Her imaginary reaction to the question would be one of DELIGHT and she would respond… “Oh, theeeesssee earrings?!” As she would swing her head back and forth. “Well, my son decided he was TOUGH, he was manly! A pure badass that decided he could beat on his girlfriend! SO, I cut off his nunads and made Christmas earrings out of them!” Was the imaginary person shocked in this rendition? Appalled? Mortified?.....no, of course not. “Oh Brenda, I LOVE them! I bet your son understands not to do that anymore, don’t he!?” and Mama would respond, “Why yes, I believe he does.” She would always end “the sword” with “And I’ll do it too!” I guess just to make sure that we did not doubt her anger if that situation ever occurred.
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Needless to say, that has never been a problem, but we always knew where our Mama stood on the issue. OJ Simpson needs to thank the Lord above that Mama was not allowed to determine his punishment.
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<br />
As many of you already know, Mama was diagnosed with cancer in September. We have been through this with Deddy, who passed away 15 years ago. It has certainly been a difficult time. The toll of chemotherapy and radiation has been challenging, tiring, and exhaustive. Emotionally for my mother, it has been overwhelming. But her prognosis is very encouraging and the medical team helping her, have been great. They have told her continuously that in her specific situation, they can “cure” her. As a family, we really do have a lot to be grateful for. I would encourage all of you to take the time this Christmas season to thank God in prayer for whatever blessings you do have. It’s so easy to let the challenges of life overwhelm you and become the only aspect you focus on. But, if you take a deep breath and give life some patient thought, we ALL have things to be grateful for. I have a lot to be grateful for, but this Christmas season, I am truly grateful for my mother and I hope she gets back to wielding her sword in the near future……..just not at me!
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286967587915393750.post-26282129305742316922015-09-13T15:05:00.000-07:002015-09-13T15:05:13.804-07:00Respect
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<b>No matter how much money you have, how powerful you become, or how popular you are, respect is something that can only be achieved on merit. It is not something that can be bought or granted.</b>
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My father was a person of great respect. He respected his mother and father, his brothers, his wife, his children, and his friends. He also respected people he did not really know just because that was the way he was. He respected authority such as law enforcement. He always respected laws and rules. Because of the respect he gave to the world, he earned an incredible amount of respect for himself.
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He felt a significant affinity towards all three of his brothers. He loved each one of them, accepted their differences, and wanted to see all of them do well in life. So I decided to ask each of them what they respected the most about my father.
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Randy said he was just simply a good man. He was never selfish and gave of himself anytime he could. He admired the way Deddy loved life in general and didn’t let adversity make him bitter or negative. But the aspect about my father that he respected the most was his love for his family. It was genuine, sincere, and without judgment.
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Sammy said that he respected his generosity as much as anything. He recalled that every year, Deddy put together bags of fruit, nuts, and a small gift and gave them out to the elderly people in the neighborhood. He didn’t do this to win an award. He didn’t do to be recognized. He did it because he thought it was the right thing to do at Christmas for people he had known most of his life. A lot of people that still recall him delivering those bags at Christmas and without him realizing it, I believe it was one of his greatest acts of generosity.
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Uncle Boyd respected him for the fact that Deddy loved him so much. If you know Uncle Boyd, he can give you absolute hell by picking on you about anything. He told me that if he had been Deddy, he would not have put up with some of his OWN joking and picking! But he said Deddy just took it in stride and would usually have a sharp comeback. Uncle Boyd really respected the fact that he was genuinely just a good person and always considered what was the right thing to do in all situations.
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They all recalled a year when a family had their house to burn down just a few weeks before Christmas. Well, Deddy called a bunch of people and briefly explained the situation, then TOLD them the amount they would be donating. Then he sent Mama shopping and a family that was in crisis was able to enjoy Christmas that year.
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I know growing up, my cousins and even many of my friends respected Deddy as much or more than they did their own parents. I have a friend named Anthony McPhaul that I played baseball with in high school and now he works at the Dairy Bar. He did not know Deddy that good but has told me how much he respected him because he felt like he looked at him as “just one of the guys on the baseball team” and treated him like he did everybody else. Jason McPherson respected Deddy probably almost as much as I did.
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One night I was at David O’Quinn’s house and we were debating doing something we shouldn’t do. I don’t recall what it was, but it was probably something simple like “robbing a bank.” Anyway, I was reluctant to go along with the idea and noted, “If we got caught, my Deddy would kill me.” David’s buddy chuckled and was like, “so, you’re scared of your Dad?” David immediately responded with, “Troy, do you know who Grizzly Adams is?.....well, imagine him on crack cocaine and angry….that would be Robbie’s Deddy mad.” Troy immediately understood the analogy and we just played basketball.
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It is hard to describe how much Travis and I respected our father. He never let us down in any capacity. He didn’t give up on us when we failed and he did whatever he had to do to be a provider for our family even during very hard times. He respected our mother and he loved her unconditionally. He did whatever he could for his own Mother and Father and made sure that his mother-in-law was also taken care of.
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I don’t think I had an actual idea of just how many responsibilities Deddy had until he passed away and much of that responsibility was passed off to me by default. I can assure you, as easy as Deddy made it look, it was overwhelming. I respect him more today than I ever have.
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The generosity my father exhibited in his lifetime was truly admirable. He gave of himself without really giving it much thought. The little things he did are the things people remember the most. He used to take Mama and Mildred to the mall on Saturday nights sometimes and would just sit and wait for them to shop. I know a lot of men who would not do that on a regular basis. Maria recalled during hurricane Fran that we got our power back before her family did. So, Mama and Deddy immediately took our generator over to their house to use. Instead of enjoying a cool house and getting things back to normal at home, they thought of another family and reacted immediately.
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I don’t question God’s decisions. I know He is right whether I like it or not. But I think about my father passing away at 48 and I can’t help but think that he had a lot of good left to do in a world that seems to get worse by the day. But, although I miss him and regret he is no longer here, I’ve accepted it. I’ve also considered that maybe its possible that he had done all the Lord wanted him to do in 48 years and it was time to move on. Either way, I know his family and friends still miss him. If the world would make more of an effort to earn the respect of each other in all regards, I certainly think there would be a lot less “bad news” to report all of the time. When you really do think about it, MOST of the terrible things happening all over the world are very simply because people do not have respect for each other. Ironically, one of Deddy’s best attributes was that he respected people for who they were, even when it meant accepting differences. I think that is probably the reason so many people respected HIM as much as they did. It’s been 15 years since he passed away and people still talk to me about how much they miss him, how much they would love to see him again, and how much they truly loved him as a man. For him to have left such an impression on so many people is truly indicative of how respected he really was.
K-Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798349068474169372noreply@blogger.com0