Remembering Ryan and Max

I learned last week that a Louisville highschool football coach was to be endicted in the death of one of his players, Max Gilpin, who collapsed and died three days later last August. I am sad for everyone concerned in this tragic ordeal, but knew that finally, high school football's dirty little secret would finally be brought to light. Healthy young men, whose only fault is that they totally trust their football coaches, die each year, when these coaches demand too much, in too extreme conditions. They forget their job is to teach these youngsters about a game, about sportsmanship, about friendships and teamwork. Instead, they use these young athletes to win games, at any cost, so they can hold up a trophy at season's end.

I was somewhat amused that the Louisville football coach's lawyer stated that his client hadn't done anything different than any other football coach had been doing. That's actually the problem.....these coaches continue to abuse these players through rigorous practices in extreme heat and often use water breaks as incentive for them to work harder. This practice needs to be exposed, addressed and eliminated.

I will continue to pray for those involved and pray for God to use all of this for the good of His people. I will especially pray for my friends, Randy and Marla Owens and their family, as they have been engulfed in this same nightmare since July 19, 2006 when their sixteen year old son, Ryan, collapsed and died after football practice. I believe there still to be ongoing investigations and lawsuits in Henderson regarding this case. Nothing criminal was ever determined, even though Ryan was actually told to put water back when he attempted to hydrate himself during the practice. I will be paying close attention to this recent incident to say the least.

We got a lot of snow last night. I think it was at least four inches. Two of the dogs managed to run through the yard, over the now snow-covered natural barricade out front, across the road and proceeded to bark at and chase the five horses in their field. Those five horses have decided that they will camp right across the street from our house and driveway. I think they enjoy seeing these funny little furballs and just wait for the opportunity to socialize with them. Well, this morning, they were mixing and mingling up a storm. It's difficult to coax Riff and Roy home, especially when I need to nicely talk them into coming back across the road, but also need to give them a spanking for crossing said road. I was just glad to get them back across safely.

Mark was really busy this morning running one of the routes he's covering. No matter what the weather conditions, he can always get the job done. I'm still waiting to see if any deer come for their morning breakfast of corn. All the birds are enjoying the birdseed after it had run out Sunday. I made sure to stock up on corn and birdfood yesterday. I hope you are all stocked up on your necessities, if you're snowed in like me. Keep warm and have a great day, luv, Susan

An Extraordinary Day

The sun was shining earlier this morning as I looked out the window. We were getting a light, airy snowfall and as it cascaded to earth, it looked as if sparkling glitter was adorning the view. The morning sun can really make the snow appear diamond encrusted, lots and lots of them, glinting and reflecting the sun's rays.

I thought it was going to warm up this week, I guess it has, but I about froze my fingers off trying to fill all the birdfeeders out back. We are still in a deep freeze for now, I guess. It's hard for me to believe that it is also frigid in Washington D.C. To see the throngs of individuals that have made the trek to the nation's capital is mind boggling, to say the least.

I remember watching an amazing young man speak at the Democratic National convention over four years ago. I was impressed by him and what he said and also by how he said it. He was charismatic, passionate and energetic. I had a feeling that I'd be seeing him again. Today, I'll be watching this young man be sworn in as our 44th president of these United States of America.

I've always watched this ceremony, but I'm paying particular attention today, as, I believe, is the rest of the country. I'm comforted knowing that the day begins in church. Even yesterday, at the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, President-elect Obama heard the senior pastor's words to him, "God has prepared you and placed you. God will not forsake you. Go forward in prayerfulness and faithfulness." I, with a God fearing nation, will continue to pray for this young man and his family. I will pray for his wisdom and discernment, for his safety and his spirit. I will continue to ask God to bless him and this nation.

I hope you have a wonderful day. Stay warm, luv, Susan

Brrrrrrrrr........

Need I say more? We have descended into a deep freeze here in Kentucky. From the national weather reports, I see that it is not nearly as cold as many states farther north, but, we, in the south, don't care for this frigid weather. As summer is my favorite time of year, you know that I am not thrilled to look at my calendar and see, at least, another six weeks of January and February. Please, March, hurry up.

The sun did make a brief appearance yesterday afternoon, I think it was about six to eight minutes worth. This morning, it peeked through the grey sky momentarily. It's nice to have those briefest hints of what we will eventually see more and more of with the coming months. It is encouraging to have daylight hours stretching a bit into evening. It would be nicer still if the temps were above the teens.

As a Kentucky resident, and UK fan, I was also pleased to see the sun shining, so to speak, on our lead scorer, Jodie Meeks, last night in Knoxville. He was amazing, to say the least. That certainly warmed our collective hearts in this otherwise freezing time of year. We look forward to more of that in the days and weeks to come as well.

The snow that fell yesterday makes deer watching all the more enjoyable. Whereas the deer are always camoflauged in the woods that go down, then uphill behind our house, now the are easily seen as they make their way through the trees. After watching nine doe and little ones compete for the corn yesterday; it was entertaining to see them run uphill and downhill as they playfully charged through the snowy woods. I see bear hunting is being arranged in three Kentucky counties....so far I haven't seen any bear. I'll let you know if I do.

I hope you are staying warm and safe this week. My reunion planning has been put on hold due to the weather and phone /computer problems. But, that's still on my list of things to get accomplished soon. Have a great day, luv, Susan

LOVE, ABOVE ALL

It's already almost a full week into the new year of 2009. I hope your first days are going well. I can't complain, things are good here in Georgetown. I'm always thankful for our health, our families, our families' health and Mark's job.

I would like warmer weather and sunshine, but I know that will be coming and I'll appreciate it all the more because of the days we don't have it.

I'm also thankful to have the promise of God's great love for us, renewed each and every morning.(Lamentations 3:22-23) This morning I'm reminded in the Upperroom reading that life is not fair. Two stories illustrate this, the prodigal son and the parable of the workers in the vineyard. This is a difficult concept for most of us. We want life to be fair, doggonnit!! If we have lived our lives righteously and according to God's laws, we should get what we deserve from Him, and that should surely be more than someone who lives a sinful, selfconsumed life enjoying the worldy rewards year after year. Don't we get more for our faithfulness? Sorry, we are promised eternal life with our Father in heaven, as are they, when they repent and accept Jesus as their savior. If we don't rejoice over their salvation, something is wrong in our understanding of God and his unsurpassing love for His children, all of us.

I wish I knew my Bible better. There's a wonderful verse that states that the three most important things are love, faith and hope, and the greatest of these is love. How wonderful to hear and see that in a music video by the country duo of the year, Sugarland. They actually performed it at Rupp Arena just mere months ago and turned it into a music video. It's awesome!! If you get the chance, listen to the words closely, as well as the on stage special effects.

I hope you are enjoying the new year as well as having a great day. luv, Susan