Some of the most torn books, have a beautiful story.
Thank you Marcy D. for sharing on your page so that I can pass it on :0)
Oh Say Can You See It?
Happy Monday!!
Whose House? D’s House!! (post by Frank Somerville KTVU)
Something happened at a basketball game at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha Wisconsin that gives me hope.
It’s a reminder that there are still a lot of people out there who will stand up for what they believe and do the right thing.
One of the cheerleaders on the team is Dee Andrews.
She has Down syndrome.
During a game last year, people in the stands started making fun of her for “dancing to her own music.”
How anyone could do that is beyond me.
But here’s where the story gets good.
The players saw what was happening and were really angry.
One of them said:
“We were mad; we didn’t like that.”
Another said:
“It’s not fair when other people get treated wrong because we’re all the same.”
And at least one of them actually went into the stands and said:
“Don’t mess with her.”
Then to top it all off, the team walked off the court.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Because of what happened, they started a new tradition at the school.
When the players are introduced, Dee is always introduced right along with them
And then just before the game, all the players run over to her and give her high fives and fist bumps.
They also renamed the gym “D’s House.”
And during the last game of the season earlier this month, the players all gathered at center court and started chanting:
“Whose house? D’s house!”
Sometimes middle school kids can be “too cool for school.”
But not these kids.
Check out that third picture.
Those are some of players walking Dee to class.
One of them says:
“Everyone loves her now.”
Dee’s parents have been touched beyond belief.
That fourth picture shows her dad, Cliff, wiping away tears after the gym was renamed for his daughter.
Cliff says that he daughter first got interested in in being a cheerleader after watching the show “Glee.”
One of the characters was a cheerleader with Down syndrome.
Cliff says after seeing the show his daughter told him:
“If she can be a cheerleader, I can be a cheerleader.”
Needless to say Cliff is proud of his daughter.
But he’s also proud of the team for standing up for her.
He says:
“It’s been a godsend to us.
Those boys, I tried to talk to them in person, but I couldn’t keep the tears back.”
Story courtesy Deneen Smith/Kenosha News
Pictures courtesy Kevin Poirier/Kenosha News and TMJ4
It was exactly 10 years ago that a photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle took this picture (Post by Frank Somerville KTVU)
That’s Kevin Berthia standing on the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge.
He was 22 years old.
He was depressed.
He was out of a job.
He was a scared father of a little girl.
And he was just moments away from ending his life.
Kevin says:
“As I jumped over the railings I heard someone say:
‘Hey, wait a minute.’
I was convinced I was going to end my life, but at the last moment his voice made me stop and grab the railings.”
The voice was CHP Sgt. Kevin Briggs:
“I approached (Kevin) very slowly and asked his permission to allow me to speak with him.”
And what happened next was remarkable.
Sgt. Briggs didn’t talk.
He just listened.
Sgt. Briggs says:
“He just talked to me, just kept talking and talking and talking.
And I listened most of the time as he spoke.
I think that’s what people need, someone who will listen to them.”
Kevin talked to Sgt. Briggs for about an hour and a half.
Among other things they spoke about Kevin’s young daughter.
Kevin says:
“He kind of made me understand that I need to be here for her.
If nothing else I need to live for her.
And that was one of the main reasons that I came back over and gave it another shot.”
It hasn’t all been easy for Kevin.
He says depression is tough:
“I struggle every day.
There’s no magic potion or solution.”
Sgt. Briggs and Kevin didn’t see each other again for 8 years.
They were both invited to an event in New York City.
Kevin was presenting a Lifesavers Award to Sgt. Briggs.
And that was when Kevin finally confronted his attempted suicide.
Kevin says:
“That was the first time I had ever talked about it in my life, to probably anybody.
And I did it in front of a room of about 250 people.
I don’t know how I did it.
It was just something that just needed to be done.
The more that I accept who I am, and know that (the attempted suicide) doesn’t define me, (the more) it helps me move on.”
Kevin is now the father of three kids.
He recently found a new job.
And he’s engaged.
Kevin says:
“The biggest thing I had to do was take a step and that’s the hardest thing anybody had to do is to take the first step.”
He and Sgt. Briggs talk often these days.
That third picture is the two of them on the bridge recently.
Sgt Briggs says:
“We are going to stay friends forever.
We’re brothers so to speak.”
I spoke to Kevin on the phone about a month ago.
He was so passionate.
So full of life.
I’m not trying to say everything is perfect for him.
It’s not.
But I just got the feeling from talking to him that this is a man who understands that he has been given a second chance in life.
Tonight on the Ten O’Clock News we aired a piece about Kevin and Sgt. Briggs.
Amber Lee and photographer Elliot Mendoza put it together.
It was really well done.
Honestly, it’s one thing to read about what happened on the bridge.
It’s another thing to see and hear Kevin and Sgt. Briggs talking about it.
It gave me the chills to watch it.
Here’s a link to the story:
http://bit.ly/1FdiIJG
It’s about 4 minutes long.
I promise that if you take the time to watch it you won’t be disappointed.
And finally, I know there are probably a lot of you out there who can totally relate to what Kevin was going thru.
If you need someone to talk to please call the Suicide Prevention Hotline.
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
And remember this:
Your life matters.
Just like Kevin’s life matters.
And he’s got three beautiful kids who remind him of that every day.
Wednesday Jam!!
Let the Jams begin!!
No Reason
~Zig Ziglar
One Choice My Mom Made (post by Kirk Weisler)
My mom sent me this the other day.
So from my Mom to you here is “One Choice”
One…
One tree can start a forest,
One smile can begin a friendship,
One hand can lift a soul,
One word can frame the goal,
One candle can wipe out darkness,
One laugh can conquer gloom,
One hope can raise our spirits,
And…one choice can change your life.
Think about that. One choice, just one, can change your life forever. Simply put, your life today is what your choices have made it, but with new choices, you can change directions this very moment.
This made me think of you and what you do.
I am proud of you.
Love Mom
Thanks Mom… for choosing to be a Mom (and sticking with it).
Choose Greatness Today –
Kirk out
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Shut Down The Drama!!
Shut down the drama in your life. It is unhealthy. Arguing and fighting creates dis-ease. Stay away from negative, selfish, energy-draining relationships that do not honor you, or even worse ~ use you, abuse you, and take advantage of your kindness. Do not buy into their negativity or guilt trips. Resolve to live in peace.
Do not attempt to change others. There is enough work to do on yourself. Develop relationships where all parties can grow, and create an atmosphere of mutual respect, love, and appreciation. Free yourself from inner chaos by meditation, relaxation, and stillness. What you create inside of yourself will manifest outside yourself. Create a sanctuary where you can live in peace, relax your mind, revive your spirit, and renew your purpose. You have GREATNESS within you!!
