Ironman

     If you follow me on social media, you have probably noticed that I call Nick "Ironman" and you may wonder why...let me take you back to how it all got started.

     Back in 2005, when I was 19, I fell in love with a baseball player.  I went to ALL his home games at Francis Marion University and a few of his away games, when I could.  He played Right Field and was super quick, very strong, a great hitter and could throw like no one else.

     I will always remember one specific game.  There was a player running towards home base.  Nick took off like lightening, caught the ball in the farthest corner of the right field and threw straight to home plate before the player slid in.  Everyone jumped up and screamed in shock.  It was one of those once in a lifetime moments.  I was so proud, I could feel it bubbling up from my heart.

     Nick had it all going for him and I loved watching him play baseball.  Each time it was his turn up to bat, FMU would play his walk out song, Ironman by Black Sabbath.  So, it became "my thing" (after Nick's baseball days were over), to stomp to the beat and hum Ironman like a crazy person in preparation for anything difficult that was about to happen.  It was around that time that I began to call Nick my "Ironman".

     Although his baseball days are long gone, Nick still amazes me with his natural ability to succeed in just about anything he sets his mind to.  He is so talented and gifted, but the best part is that Nick is also incredibly generous and has a true servants heart.  So, there's how "Ironman" came to be mine...I'll be keeping him around!

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Fearless and Selfless

When I think about my mom, two words come to mind:  Fearless and Selfless.

     Fearless for many reasons.  First, she married my dad (sorry, I just had to...haha).  When I was seven, she agreed to move to Ethiopia and when I was 12, she agreed to move to Bolivia.  Although she was living in foreign counties, she learned the language, made friends, shopped in the markets, got involved in local events, drove like the natives, traveled out of the city and through the mountains (even when the breaks gave up and the gasoline was out).  She was always a trooper.  When I was 16, she was burned and nearly died.  However, she not only survived, but she then founded her own burn care ministry.  Over the years, I have seen many emotions, but I can't recall a time that I ever saw my mom afraid.

     Selfless for even more reasons.  When my family moved to Ethiopia, then back to the USA, then to Bolivia and back to the USA, my mom never complained about losing a house or the things that fill it.  We would simply pack up, move on and start over.  Each place we lived in, she would find people who needed her help.  Women who needed to become family instead of another housekeeper.  Children who needed a bath and new clothes while they visited our home.  Schools that needed books and a real library.  Kids who needed shoes and backpacks so that they could attend classes.  Even when the schools we attended needed teachers, she was the first to sign up and give up her free days to make sure we got the education we needed.  After she was burned, she would even spend her days at the hospital, visiting burn victims and trying to figure out how to get them better medical attention.  It's always the same.  In all these years, I can't remember a time when I saw my mom put herself first.

So, I want to say Happy Mother's Day to the BEST mom in the world...I hope that I grow up to be just as Fearless and Selfless as YOU!

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