A Question Answered

Another blog from MySpace


Sep 18, 2006

On the morning of May 10, 1979, a young mother of two heads to the hospital to give birth to her third child. The problem is she isn't due for another two and a half months.

The woman delivers a baby girl at 8:24am, then the doctors tell her there's another baby ready to be born. The woman is surprised at this, because she was never told there were two babies. She begins to push, but as she does so, the baby begins to lose oxygen with each contraction. The only solution is a C-section.

The baby, a boy, makes his arrival at 9:04am. The infants weigh two pounds and seven ounces apiece. The doctors don't hold much hope for survival. The infants spend the next few months in the hospital being cared for until they can go home.

When they return home, and are on their way to being healthy babies, the mother notices that the baby boy isn't moving around like his sister. She calls her pediatrician about what's going on. He tells her not to worry, the baby will be fine. He explains the boy is slow in development because he was a twin, he was the second of the two, and also that since he's a boy it will take him awhile to catch up to his sister. The woman knows there's something more going on than what the doctor's are telling her.

Finally, in 1981, after years of wondering and worrying the parents are put in contact with Dr. David Santrock. The doctor tells them not to worry, he knows what is wrong with their son. He says, "Don't be alarmed, but your son has cerebral palsy."

In the years since, the parents made sure their son had the best medical care possible. The best thing of all they did was love him, and they also made sure that he knew that his life was worth living even though he was disabled.

I should know, because I was that little boy.

Reality Bites.....Sometimes

An old MySpace blog entry..

Jul 23, 2006

I mentioned in a recent blog that during my kindergarten and first grade years, I went to a school for children with special needs. I dislike the word special in this context, but I let it go because other people were referred to as special way before my birth. Anyhow, at the school, the kids in my class were just like me, couldn't walk, but had use of their mental faculties. However, some children were less fortunate, in that they had no control over the body whatsoever, everytime I would see them in the halls I remember my Mom telling me that I shouldn't stare at them, it wasn't polite. I also kept wondering why I had been so fortunate. I wanted to trade places with these kids, so that they could experience a body they could control, if I could have I would. I know that God does things for a reason, but as a 5 year old, you don't understand why certain things are the way they are. I was always taught unconsciously by my parents to be thankful to be alive and for everything else in my life...what a terrific lesson to learn. While at the school, in the spring we would take a field trip to a place called Owens. The place had an indoor pool, and myself and the other kids got to exercise our legs in the water to give them strength. You could enter the pool 2 ways, by going down stairs or by walking down a landing leading into the pool. I always went to the landing, because the stairs didn't seem a good idea to me. So we're in the pool with several therapists doing exercises and everything, and when we finished exercising we got to play around the pool. This one time, after we finished playing, they told us to get ready to get out of the pool. So, I'm moving along and it suddenly hits me that I am walking in the pool...I was so thrilled I couldn't wait to tell my family that I could walk, I thought the pool had cured me, and my legs were fine. As I reached the landing however, I realized that I was wrong, because my legs went back to the way they were when I entered the pool and I was crawling up the landing. I told my family about walking in the pool and how great it had been, and how I wished I could've stayed in it and showed them that I had indeed walked. This entry wasn't written out of pity, it was written out of the celebration of my life, and how proud I am to be who I am. I hope you who read this will celebrate yourselves as well.

Getting Back on Track

A few months ago while I was watching television, I turned the channel to Larry King Live. The guest that evening was Bill Maher, and he was giving his thoughts on various topics. When the topic of religion came up, he referred to it as "magic." I couldn't believe it, so to get that response out of my head I watched, The Passion of the Christ.

I love the film and the message it presents to all of us, and that message is that Jesus Christ died for our sins. He went through so much pain and humiliation because he loved all of us so much. How incredible is that?

The next day I told my sister, Leslee that I had watched it, and it made me realize that I needed to be in church again. She had also wanted to start going again, so we planned to go that Sunday. Leslee and her kids did go to church that Sunday, I unfortunately overslept. However, I did make it the following week, and have been enjoying it ever since.

I immediately felt welcomed, everyone kept telling me they were glad to have me there, and hoped I'd come back again.

After my second or third week, I knew that I wanted to be baptized. I had been to a few baptismal services, and I got chills as each person accepted Christ in their lives. So I sent my pastor a message asking when the church would be doing baptisms, and he said they would schedule it.

In the meantime, one of Leslee's prayers was answered when her husband, Chad started attending church with us. It has truly made a difference for all of us.

Leslee and I are members of the church choir, which is wonderful. We've also been practicing for the Christmas cantata. I'm not usually comfortable with doing things in front of an audience, but when you're singing for God, you have to put the nervousness aside.

As I was heading down the hall for our first choir practice, my pastor asked if he could talk with me for a minute. We sat down, and he asked, "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior?" I said, "Yes, I have."

He said, "That's great! When would you like to be baptized?" I asked if we could do it the following Sunday, and he said that would be fine.

So, on my mother's birthday, September 19th, I went to church and everyone was asking if I was ready, and I said that I was. I couldn't wait. Just before I went back to be baptized, a man in the choir sang, It Is Well with My Soul.

He finished the song and then spoke of how he was encouraged by my decision to be baptized. I was thrilled that my decision had meant something to so many people.

I will never forget walking down the steps into that tub, turning around and looking in my pastor's face as he asked, "Ryan, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior?" I said, "Yes, I have!" Then he said, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Then, I went under. As I came back up, I said, "Oh, wow!" I heard a man in the congregation say, "Amen." The power of that moment will never leave me. That day was truly the greatest day of my life.

I've heard people say that you don't need to go to church to believe in God. I believe that, but I also believe that if you do go to church, it makes you feel His presence so much more. I've realized I'm able to focus on things that are really important, instead of things that aren't so important.

I pray every night for those who are lost, and don't believe God exists. I try to understand how someone could feel that way and I can't.

I will continue to pray for them, and hopefully one day they'll realize how great there lives will be when they let Him in.

What Country Music Should Be (Part Two)

I wrote a blog last week about what I think country music should be. The entry talked about Patty Loveless, a singer I consider to be one of the TRUE voices in country music.

This second part will deal with another.

Her name is Kathy Mattea. I have been a fan of hers for many years, even before I found out she was from my home state of West Virginia.

The first song I heard from her was, Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses. I was around the age of nine at the time, and from then on, I was hooked.

During that time in her career, she was all over the radio. She also had the respect of the industry winning many industry awards, including CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1989 and 1990. She is also the recipient of two Grammy Awards.

Unfortunately, by the end of the decade, her hits seemed to dry up. In 2000, after the release of her album, The Innocent Years, she parted ways with her record company.

She then decided it was time for her to do the music she wanted to do, with or without help from radio, and major record labels.

Since taking charge of her music, Mattea has released four albums, Roses, Joy For Christmas Day, and Right Out of Nowhere.

Her fourth album was released in April, and is titled, Coal.

She planned the album after the Sago Mine disaster in January of 2006.

The album is a tribute to her grandfathers, who both worked in the mines. Songs on the album include, Blue Diamond Mines, Coal Tattoo, and You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive.

Critics have hailed Coal as the best album of her career. I totally agree, this album is perfect in every way.

I have wondered during the writing of these two entries why these two talented performers are no longer receiving radio airplay.

Is it because they aren't twenty-something? Is it because they're "too country" for country music?

I think the actual answer is that they refused to change their music styles to become what the "suits" would accept.

What do you think?

What Country Music Should Be (Part One)

An old blog from 2008.

I went to a concert last weekend, and it was amazing.

It's what country music should be, instead of the pop-tinged junk they play day after day on the radio, and on television.

I've been a fan of country music for a long time, or at least certain artists. These artists aren't having their music played on the radio as much as I would like.

It seems that if you aren't twenty-something in the industry, you don't count.

To me, this is a load of crap.

The person I went to see the other night was Patty Loveless, who, to me has one of the best voices ever.

She was in town promoting her new album, Sleepless Nights. It's an album that features some of the best country songs ever written.

She started her set with the George Jones classic, Why Baby Why. The song is also the opening track on the album. She performed six songs during the show, and she didn't disappoint me one bit.

She closed the show, and her album with the Hank Williams song, Cold, Cold Heart.

Patty had a string of hits in the early to mid-1990's, and then all at once radio seemed to drop her. Her albums have always been critically praised, even if they didn't sell well.

After radio finished with her, she decided to follow her own path. In 2001, she released a bluegrass album titled, Mountain Soul. Many critics have said it was the best album of her career.

She has released four albums since then, and after the disappointing sales of her last album, Dreaming My Dreams, she parted ways with her record company and decided to take some time off. She wasn't sure she would ever record music again.

During her three year hiatus, she dealt with the deaths of two family members, and the illness of another. It was because of these events that she decided it was time to get back to making music. For me, her new album was worth the wait..

Quiet Time

It's late at night, and I'm not quite ready for bed. I am listening to silence.

There is nothing on tv. I have it turned on, but I pushed the mute button awhile ago.

I think it's good to sometimes sit in a quiet space with nothing going on. When it's quiet, it's kind of soothing, and alot better than channel surfing.

I keep wanting to write something, anything that I think people will read. My thoughts get jumbled, and I can't seem to work through them.

But, right now, there are no distractions, no desire to see what's on the tv. Let's face it, it's 1:30 AM, chances are pretty good that there's nothing on.

Besides, people have told me for years that I watch too much tv. I guess maybe they're right, but thankfully over the past couple of years I have discovered a love for reading and writing.

The love of reading isn't such a huge deal, because I read a little in school and stuff, but I didn't REALLY enjoy it, till now.

My love of writing is really huge for me, because until two years ago, I never thought I would write anything. But a friend of mine had an online blog, and I read some of her entries, and through that I thought I could do it too.

I enjoy doing my blog. I love that people like reading what I have to say, even if it deals with things they could care less about.

Writing has also helped me express emotions that I don't usually express, like anger and feeling depressed. Thankfully, these emotions don't show themselves very often, but when they do, I work through them by writing.

Several people have told me that I should write a book. I like hearing that, because it means they enjoy what they've read, but I'm not creative enough to write a book. I barely have enough brain power to write my blogs. Maybe if I write enough of them, I can get them published someday.

Wouldn't that be something?

Happy Birthday, Papaw

This is re-post of a blog I wrote a year ago today..



Happy Birthday

Today would have been my grandfather's 92nd birthday. I think of him everyday, and yesterday I mentioned to my sister that we should do something to celebrate his birthday.

I thought of getting Oreo blizzards from Dairy Queen, then I thought of getting some Cookies and Cream ice cream, which he always had in his freezer.

My sister also suggested that we get some root beer, which was also something he had plenty of when we were growing up.

So, this afternoon, my sister went shopping for these things, and she also bought a cake. She also called our parents and invited them to celebrate with us.

This evening, me, Leslee, her husband and kids, and our parents gathered around the table holding hands and sang Happy Birthday to Papaw while looking toward Heaven.

It was a wonderful day to celebrate the life of such a great man. Thinking of all his stories and jokes, how much he loved to garden and help people.

The only thing that makes me sad, is thinking of his illness. I remember taking care of him, making his breakfast, giving him his pills and all that stuff.

I miss being able to see him everyday. I miss hearing his laugh, his jokes, watching him work word searches and reading Consumer Reports.

I'm very thankful for all the memories I have of him. The root beer and popcorn we'd have on nights we'd stay at his house, swinging with him in the porch swing. He loved it when we'd swing really fast. I think of him everytime I eat at Bob Evans, and can still hear him laughing, because he knows I always order their french toast.

Although he wasn't with us today physically, I know he was watching us from Heaven with a big smile on his face.

Happy Birthday Papaw......I LOVE YOU!!