Part of who I am and part of who I become will be in large part to Nov. 5 1998. Jonathan we once were so close and now I have to go to Hollybrook to feel your presence. You'll always be my brother and even though we weren't close when you passed- the love remained and will always remain!
I don't know what to say. For the second time in my life I have to live with the regret of not spending time with someone I loved deeply!! It's a pain I would wish on NO one! This time instead of my best friend, it's my baby sister.
To other people you may have been my stepsister, but to me and Julie you were just one of our two sisters. I'm hoping I can learn how to love like you did Karson! I'm praying I can one day smile as much as you did and find the balance between being mature and acting silly.
My life has forever been changed by Black Camaros- HATE THEM!! But I know heaven has two more angels and I know y'all both are going to open up the gates for me.
I've been changed and have become a better person just by being blessed enough to know y'all!
Composes himself...now, just to let you know, I'm the realest dude you'll E-V-E-R meet. My nickname is Linus-My sister's nickname is Lucy :o) The Lord has blessed me with awesome family & friends, a house, a job I love, a Trailblazer that I have sittin on 20s with TVs in the headrests and for Christmas bought myself a plasma TV for the wall in my office.
Guess what I've found out? Having nice things is nice, but guess what?? They're still JUST things! Give me my JESUS, my family and my friends and a life full of fun memories- memories from the past and memories yet to be made and I'm good. That's all I NEED!
Rest assured, if I talk to you on here... I want NOTHING from you, but a friendship. Other than Jesus- what I want most for anybody I talk to is for them to realize their full potential for their life! Thanks for stopping by & remember my name- it will be featured in a Christian bookstore near you in the not-too-distant future.
Ephesians 3:20 Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
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Story by John Mark Brooks
Lincoln Times-News
Steve Smith may not put himself in the list of the NFL's top five receivers, but everyone else would likely put him at the very top.
Sunday's 12-catch, 218-yard and two-touchdown performance, to help advance the Carolina Panthers to the NFC Championship game, once again reaffirmed what many have finally come to realizehe's special.
In the same vain Jerry Rice, who's widely considered the best receiver of all-time, used to dominate, Smith has the unique gift of taking over a ball game despite everyone in the stadium knowing the ball's coming his way.
At 5-foot-9 Smith ironically towered above all NFL receivers this season as he led the league in receptions (103), yards (1,563) and touchdowns (12) on his way to Co-Comeback Player of the Year honors.
It's amazing what a little perspective and hard work will do. Smith furiously attacked his rehab determined to prove to those in the Panthers' organization and the rest of the NFL, he was going to return to being the same type of game-breaking player he had become for Carolina in 2003's Super Bowl-run.
That year, No. 89 raked in 88 catches for 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns. This year, Smith not only achieved his goal of returning to form, but he has improved on the field and continues to mature off it.
"I keep stressing that last year put everything in perspective. I felt like football was my whole life," Smith said. "When it was taken from me, I felt the Lord was teaching me a lesson to not pull all my eggs in one basket," he added.
This season, Smith has played the game with a sense of joy and appreciation that perhaps was lacking before. Maybe Smith didn't realize just what he had until it was gone.
There he was, a third-round draft pick with sub 4.4 speed, a 40-inch vertical and a fierce competitive spirit reduced to the role of spectator. And if this year has been any indication of how he felt about ithe must not have liked it too much.
Including the playoffs, ten different times, Smith has compiled a 100-yard game and has surpassed the 200-yard mark twice.
While you will never hear it come out of his own mouth, Defensive Player of the Year Brian Urlacher called the University of Utah product Sunday, 'the best offensive player in the game.'
Looking at his numbers, his impact on the Panthers and the fact he's only 26 years old, it's hard to argue with Urlacher's claim. When you consider he's double and triple-teamed each week and that his numbers improve every year, it seems the sky truly is the limit for Smith.
During training camp, Panthers head coach John Fox said he was, 'expecting big things' from Smith. It's doubtful he had any idea his No. 1 receiver was going to put together a MVP-type season and almost single-handedly help the Panthers make a return to the NFC Championship.
While it's doubtful Fox wasn't at least a little surprised in the season Smith has put together, he certainly realizes his importance to the team's success.
"He's been tremendous all season. He was tremendous again yesterday (last Sunday). He's capable of it all the time. It's hard for me to measure it. I've seen him do some incredible things and I'm sure I'll see him do more incredible things," Fox said. He's a very talented young man who is probably at his best in tough times and when we need him. I'm convinced that I wouldn't be sitting here today if he didn't have that kind of season for us," he added.
Smith may not be the prototype NFL receiver in terms of size, but like Fox pointed out Monday, size doesn't always matter.
"It's not how big the wand is. It's how much magic is inside, and he's got a lot of magic. He's a guy that gets it done," he said.
For the Panthers to once again make a trip to the Super Bowl, fans and teammates are hoping Smith has some magic left and judging by the moments he's authored this season and his character...
I'm saying he does.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Nelson Mandela
The L-Town crew- holding me down since 1994~ Will, Steve, Joey, Me, John, Damien, and Jason. Could never leave out my nigga Shane (Not-pictured)
The 5 people I would invite to dinner: Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Ellen, Tyler Perry & Johnny Cash. And of course, if I get a 6th- MJ Na, I can't leave out Frederick Douglass