Abbie's Sense of Humor

My sister, Abbie, has a sense of humor that can scare me sometimes.
The other night, I walked into Walmart in Live Oak with Abbie. We got our buggy and I stationed Abbie at the back so she could push it, which she enjoys doing. I had leaned over and was looking at cookies or something else which don’t need to eat and she disappeared. I’m serious. Poof! She vanished.
My brother, Danny, and my father were behind us getting power buggies (since both of them have trouble getting around in the store) and neither of them saw Abbie disappear either.
I don’t think I have to tell many of you that I was frightened. I began asking others in the store if they had seen which way my mentally challenged sister went. None of them had. I ran out the door to make sure that she hadn’t gone back in the parking lot. There was no sign of her there.
When I got back in the store, Danny and Daddy were fanning out looking for her as I frantically continued to search.
I saw Daddy come out of one aisle, driving his buggy and Abbie was sitting on it with him, just laughing. He said that she had popped out of one aisle and hopped on it with him.
I collected Abbie and we set about doing our shopping, with her happily pushing the buggy and grinning from ear to ear about the joke she had played on her big brother.
The Bible tells us that a merry heart doing good like a medicine but sometimes a little joke can just about scare the life out of you.

How My Sister Communicates

No matter how many times she does it, I’m still amazed by my sister Abbie’s ability to tell us what she wants and what she’s thinking.
As many readers know, Abbie is mentally-challenged and, although she can talk, it’s very rare that she does. People always ask me how Abbie communicates with us and it’s hard for me to explain but she does.
On Monday, my nephew took my father (who celebrated his birthday on Jan. 21), my brother (whose birthday was Monday) and Abbie out to lunch to celebrate Daddy and Danny’s birthdays. They stopped by the office on the way back home and Abbie came up and hugged me and laughed. I understood then that she was trying to tell me something but I couldn’t figure it out.
That’s when Daddy told me that Ryan’s girlfriend had gone to lunch with them. I asked Abbie if that was what she was trying to tell me and she gave me a high five.
I told you she could communicate.
The next night, we went to Denny’s. Abbie looked at the menu and saw a picture of the nachos on there. She began pointing and we knew that she wanted them.
Remember, I told you Abbie could communicate with us.
In spite of the nachos and sauce being spicy hot, Abbie dug in with relish and began eating them and the sour cream with them. (You have to remember, Abbie cannot only communicate, she is smart. She knew the sour cream would help with the heat.) After Danny had finished eating his food, he took a bite of Abbie’s food and commented on how hot it was.
Abbie looked at Danny like he was crazy and put one finger to her forehead and then pointed it at him as if to say, “It’s all in your mind.”
I told you Abbie could communicate.
A few weeks ago, Danny said something and apparently Abbie didn’t see the logic behind it, so she formed her fingers into the sign of an “L” and put it on her forehead, as if she was calling him a loser. (She’s probably going to do the loser sign to me soon, too if she hasn’t already done it and I missed it.)
Didn’t I tell you Abbie could communicate?
God gives each of us different abilities and talents. Some people choose to bury theirs and hide them. Abbie makes the most of what she’s got and she makes her big brother happy that she does.

Enthusiasm

I went to a motivational seminar on Monday. I was enthusiastic about attending and when I left, although I was very tired, I was enthusiastic about having attended.
My memory is a little fuzzy but I believe that it might have been Coach Bobby Bowden who explained that the word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words en theos, which means inspired by God or God-breathed.
Enthusiasm means to be inspired by God; to be full of the breath of God. Isn’t it a fantastic word?
Today, I encourage all of my readers to get enthusiastic about their relationship with God, who gives us the inspiration to be enthused.
I want to encourage everyone to read the Bible, which tells us to hide its words in our hearts so that we will not sin against God. (Psalm 119:11)
I want to encourage everyone to pray. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. If you say you don’t have anything to pray about, then pray for me. (I Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18)
I want to encourage everyone to do good deeds for each other. The Bible tells us that faith without works is dead. (James 2:20)
Get enthusiastic about reading the Bible, praying, doing good deeds and about your relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Where do you think true enthusiasm comes from in the first place?

Semper Fi, Buddy

addper Fi, Buddy

I don't believe that I saw Ricky Williams again after June 4, 1982.

Ricky was the first friend I made when I started going to school in Monticello, Fla. He and I rode the bus to school together (Madge Shelly drove that bus), we played together, we fought together, we went to church together (rode a bus that Gene Sculley drove to church), we were in Royal Rangers together, we traded baseball cards, we did everything together that boys usually do.

Ricky taught me to love baseball, although we cheered for different teams. He was a Reds fan. I was a Dodgers fan. We were in fifth grade when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record. I saw it on Channel 10 in Albany, Ga. and Ricky (who also watched it) and I talked about it the next day. Ricky taught me to play "thumps" and "b.b. bush" (both very painful games).

Ricky had two beautiful older sisters and I had two cute younger sisters. I had kind of a schoolboy crush on Ricky's sister, Becky, but she was a few years older. I think she may have been in ninth grade when I was in fifth.

In high school, Ricky and I drifted apart, but he was always my friend. He was the strong, athletic type. I was the nerd. He was a lineman on the high school football team and was in FFA. I was on the Brain Bowl team and the newspaper editor. We just started hanging around other friends.

On June 4, 1982, Ricky and I graduated high school and went our separate ways. After high school, I went to North Florida Junior College, then Florida State University, then out into the workforce. Ricky served his country proudly as a member of the United States Marine Corps. After the Marines, Ricky began working at FSU. He married his beautiful high school sweetheart. I remained single.

Ricky left this world on Monday, August 10, 2009. I am proud to have called Ricky friend. I miss him.

I know that, no matter how much I miss Ricky right now, it cannot compare to how much his wife, Pam, (who began dating Ricky when she was 15 and he was 17 and called him the love of her life), their kids and grandkids miss him. But I know, and I encourage Pam and the family to know that God can do all things and He will lift them up.

Semper fi, buddy. I love you.

 

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The Cost of Liberty

    I watched The Curious Cage of Benjamin Button tonight. Great movie, but not nearly as great as the short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Read it if you get a chance.

    I went to a town council meeting earlier tonight. It's amazing how many of our freedoms are being given away, just for a few dollars.

How much is liberty worth?

Surely more than the $600,000 grant the town wants.