"There's nothin' slow about me but my children."-Janine Earney

"I am not sure exactly what Heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will NOT ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life,' rather he will ask, 'How much LOVE did you put into what you did?'"-Mother Teresa

In the past 64 years the West Memphis Chamber of Commerce has given four Lifetime Achievement Awards.  They gave the fourth one tonight at their annual banquet.  The well deserved person who received it?  You guessed it; the one and only Janine Buford Earney.  Words absolutely cannot explain the feeling I had when my brother and I were each presented with a plaque that says, "In Recognition of Her Countless Contributions to the Betterment of Our Community."  With a standing ovation, we proudly went up and received the award in honor of our Mom.  The humbling thing about it was that Mom could have cared less about any of this recognition she's been getting.  Don't get me wrong, she would have been so appreciative and humbled, but if I know one thing about my Mama it's that she wouldn't care if any one ever knew her name as long as she knew that she was helping somebody and bettering life for the people around her.  That's the kind of woman I want to be.  She didn't do her job because it made her look good, or because it helped her "climb the ladder."  She did her job because she LOVED doing it.  My parents always taught me that if I choose a job that I love then I will never have to work a day in my life.  If it makes you happy...

It is such a comforting feeling to know that others thought Mom was just as great as I thought she was.  There is nothing better than knowing that you have family, friends, and a community who will pick you up when you feel like you can't walk on your own.  So many people have wrapped their arms around me and comforted me when I truly needed it most, and I have my parents to thank for that.  Have you thanked God for everything he has done for you?  If you woke up tomorrow and were only left with the people/things you had expressed your thanks for, what would you have?

"That was rough.... Thing to do now is try and forget it.... I guess I don't quite mean that. It's not a thing you can forget. Maybe not even a thing you want to forget.... Life's like that sometimes... Now and then for no good reason a man can figure out, life will just haul off and knock him flat, slam him agin' the ground so hard it seems like all his insides is busted. But it's not all like that. A lot of it's mighty fine, and you can't afford to waste the good part frettin' about the bad. That makes it all bad.... Sure, I know - sayin' it's one thing and feelin' it's another. But I'll tell you a trick that's sometimes a big help. When you start lookin' around for something good to take the place of the bad, as a general rule you can find it."--Old Yeller

Song of the day:  "Little Miss"-Sugarland