Cheerleading

A friend of mine once called me a cheerleader for writers. At the time, I wasn’t sure it was a compliment, but in the years since, I realize that friend was probably right. I have a tendency to want to encourage others, cheer them on, make them remember why they should keep trying when they’d rather quit.

I wish I could tell you why, other than it’s just the kind of person I am.

Everyone needs a little encouragement once in a while, and we all want to succeed at something, so of course we’re going to try. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we work harder than we’ve ever worked and lose. But sometimes we succeed, and those are the times that keep us moving forward, keep us working hard. This is why we try.

But it takes faith.

And patience.

And every so often, encouragement from a cheerleader who believes in your ability to be the person you are.

I’m willing to be that cheerleader for you. For all of you. So if you’re lacking faith in yourself, I will have faith in you. If you’re lacking the patience to keep moving forward, not knowing when or if you’ll ever succeed, I’ll loan you some of mine. And if you need someone to shake pom-poms in your face and scream and cheer while doing cartwheels, I’ll do that too. (Well, maybe not the cartwheel part—I’m getting a little old for that.)

In the meantime, here is a little something to remind you what it means to be strong. (By the way, this is the true story of my cousin Jodi—who is also a cheerleader, apparently. I guess it runs in our family or something.)

Now you have no excuses left. Get to work!

Praying for Miracles

By Nichole Giles

Today, I'm praying with a lot of other people. My cousin Jodi is having brain surgery right now, a complicated deal in which a team of specialist doctors hope to remove a tumor that is somehow wrapped around her right ocular nerve and has fingers in her brain tissue.

This situation causes me to ponder. You go through life thinking, "It's so sad that things like this happen to other people, but it'll never happen to me." Except things like this do happen. To good people. To good families and loving mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents... And none of us is immune, however much we believe otherwise.

But we choose not to live in fear of the unknown because, well, it's unknown and we don't really have any control over it anyway. That's a good thing, I think. Otherwise, how would we ever make it through the day to day things?

Jodi is way too young to die--early thirties--and has five little children who need her. So I'm joining my prayers to hundreds--possibly thousands--of other people who love Jodi. Together, maybe all of us can help find her a miracle.