The Pacifier

Hello All,
Been a while since I've dished out my "pearls of wisdom", but haven't felt inspired until today. Those who read this obviously know me. You probably know me as the laid back guy who loves to have a good time. There is, however, a side to me that possesses a hot temper and gets frustrated very easily. Today, I was having one of those moments, until I was humbled.....or rather, inspired.

One more thing......when I write these blogs, I'm speaking to myself as much as I am to anyone else.....so please never think that I think I have all the answers. I just realize that we all encounter similar struggles and I like to pass along thoughts that I think will help my friends.

So today I was in the middle of one of my hot temper moments. The day started out pretty hectic. I rushed out the door at 7:30 to get the boys to school. I had to be an hour south of Huntsville and then an hour and a half north of Huntsville by 12pm. Not stressful at all!!!! Yeah right. When I got to the first destination, I discovered some pretty shotty work from one of my co-workers. That was the main reason I was there.......to gladhand and clean up someone elses mess. I just wasn't prepared for the mess I discovered. When I discovered the problem, I saw red. I mean, I've worked my tail off to build up a good business and I'll be darned if I allow someone else to screw it up for me. I was livid......ready to lay in to my co-worker as soon as I could get to my phone. I mean, words cannot express how ticked off I was. Then, I was humbled.

I was in what amounts to a closet at a hospital and was sweating.....I can sweat in a snowstorm by the way. They probably had the thermostat on 68......anyway. I reached in to my pocket for a pen to write down some information. What I found was not a pen. I found my 18 month old's pacifier. I had put it my pocket when I dropped him off at school earlier this morning. I forgot that it was in there. I immediately melted. I stopped and wondered how he was doing.....he was probably on the playground. I thought for a split second how I would give anything to be with him and not be where I was. It brought a smile to my face......changed my mood immediately. I realized at that moment that my job is just that......a job. My real duty is to be a good father. I wasn't in danger of losing an important account........my mind was the only one telling me that. I saw everyone in that department and they were just happy I got to the hospital so early. As I left the hospital (still sweating dadgummit!), I just thought about little Anderson. I thought how funny he is......how he's the biggest pill I've ever met and yet it's still funny. I mean the boy has everyone at daycare fooled. They all rave over how laid back he is and how he's the best boy in the class. I just laugh thinking to myself,"yeah, you don't live with him." He can be an absolute monster.....but he's my monster....anyway, I digress.

My point is this: we're all too busy and too uptight at times. When I felt that pacifier in my pocket, I literally got butterflies for a second. I don't care if I need to turn in my mancard for saying that. Just the feel of the pacifier gave me butterflies and reminded me of what is really important in life. When I got home tonight, he sat in my lap while I blew bubbles for him. He loved it......then turned, crawled up on me and snuggled his head on my shoulder. That "oh so important" account was the last thing on my mind. I just quietly thanked God for my little boy. Everyday I realize how much my boys teach me versus what I teach them. Kids are the greatest gift God could ever give.

So next time you're stressed out like I was (and I'm not saying work stress is not important), one thing that may make you smile is to think of those you love. You think my boys would care if I lost an account?? They just want me to watch Mickey Mouse with them or wrestle or play Star Wars. I'm gonna try to do a better job of keeping life in perspective.

Thanks for listening.....hope it helps someone.

Reece

SWEET HOME ALABAMA

This blog may not make sense to everyone, but to some I know it will hit home. I just felt like writing with some random thoughts.

I am so glad I grew up in Alabama. I've lived in Kentucky, Tennessee, and spent summers in Savannah, GA. All those places were great, but as the famous song goes, my home's in Alabama. One of the few stories I know about my father's time in the war is when he heard "my home's in alabama." He told me how it made him homesick. I know that feeling. When I played football at tiny Maryville College in Maryville, TN. I longed to be home in Bama. I love to tell the story about coming home for the summer, from Maryville, and I pulled off at the first rest stop inside the state. I could literally SMELL that I was in Bama. It's just such a great place to be. Saturday's in the fall consist of the voice of Eli in my household. I know that when I hear his voice, it's football season. During the summer while I'm cutting the grass, and I think I'm gonna die from the heat, I know I'm in Bama. I know the beaches, the flatlands and suffocating heat of Montgomery, and now the mountains of the northeast part of the state. Every time we have a Noah and the flood like rain, I just smile and say, that's Alabama for you.
It's a state made up of the nicest people I've ever met, Christianity still means something, football is king, and on those late summer nights, the sound of the frogs and crickets in the distance sounds like a symphony. No other place would I ever want to live!!!
We've got country music, bustling cities like B'ham and Mobile, and the friendliness and understanding among strangers of what it means to be from Alabama.

We may be rednecks, mountain folks, or immature football fans, but I don't know too many people who move away.

I know it's random, but tonight I heard the frogs and crickets, (a very rare occasion during the winter), and started thinking of my life in the shadows of the Appalachian Mts. and the old times watching the sunset on Mobile Bay. Thank you Lord for Alabama.

My Home's In Alabama.....and always will be.

Roll Tide

Reece

A GOOD LESSON LEARNED....

I write this somewhat in response to my last blog. I've had some people worried about me because of what I wrote over the weekend. To settle this issue, I'm fine.

I decided, however, to write a positive blog this week.

You never know how you treat people will come back to help you, or haunt you for that matter.
I have a friend who I haven't seen in 15 years, however he recently vouched for me. You know who you are by the way. To my knowledge I never did anything special for this person, besides being myself and being a good friend. However, now this friend may turn out to be someone who helps me improve my family situation immensely. Again, to my knowledge, I never did anything special for this person, but he vouched for me and spoke highly of me. It got me to thinking about how we treat people everyday. What may be small to you may be huge to someone else. I've decided to continue to trust others and treat others as I would have them treat me. The Golden Rule if you will.

To my friend, I want to say thank you. Not only have you helped me out in several ways, but you also renewed my faith in others. Thank you.

Just remember folks, God puts people in our lives for a reason. We should always be mindful of how we treat others.

Roll Tide and How Bout Them Cowboys!!!

Reece

A Hard Lesson Learned

This blog is mainly to vent. I've been told from time to time by my mother and wife that I need to trust people more than I do. I remember my mom telling my wife, when we were dating, to be patient.....that I kept people at arm's length. That used to be true. I took it upon myself to not be so distrusting of people and I let my guard down. Boy was I wrong.

I allowed myself to be friends with people that I normally would have not given a glance to. I know that sounds snobby, but it's always been a protection mechanism for me. I have recently had my niceness, or really naievety, taken advantage of. The knife wound in my back is deep and fresh.

So what do I do? The people that take the time to read this are friends of mine. So, I would like some feedback. Do I continue to trust others, or go back to the attitude of "me, myself and I"? That obviously excludes family members. I know that certain people take my kindness for weakness, but that is about to change. It's just a little disheartening to know that when I give people a chance they screw me. I think I'm going back to my old ways, unless someone can convince me otherwise. I was always fine keeping my guard up. Ever since I've let my guard down, I've had headaches.

As a strongwilled conservative, which has nothing to do with what I'm griping about, I realize that I don't fit in well with most people out there......and that's fine with me. BUT, I will no longer be taken advantage of.

On a lighter note, Bama should handle Auburn.....I hope. I'm picking UF over Bama b/c I believe that until someone beats the Champion, they are the favorites. Should be a heckuva game. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and a MERRY CHRISTMAS. Sorry, that feels good considering so many pantywastes out there are afraid to say Merry Christmas for fear of offending someone. What losers they are.


Reece

A Sobering Thought

Hello all! I hope life is treating all of you well during this wonderful fall season we're experiencing. The weather is great, and Huntsville, Alabama has some of the most wonderful colors and scenes anyone could hope to see. I truly hope everyone is doing well.

My blog tonight is a bit of a "debbie downer", but I like to share with others whenever I have a personal revelation. In the last 24 hours, I've learned of a family who has suffered an absolute tragic loss by losing a young child. Without going into details, it's a loss that is just completely unexpected and uncalled for. On top of that, I read an excerpt from my father's writing about his time in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm in the early '90's. I'll never forget the day my father picked me up from school, unexpectedly, and informed me he was going off to war. My heart sank as I immediately began to worry about his safety. I can remember the night the war actually started. I was in 9th grade, supposed to be doing homework, my mother was working night shift at the hospital and I was home alone. I remember listening to Wolf Blitzer on CNN broadcasting live from a hotel lobby that was in the middle of the fight. I was scared out of my mind!! Where was my father? I hope he's okay! Back then we didn't have e-mail.....a letter took 3-4 weeks to travel overseas from Saudi Arabia to Mobile, Alabama. When he left America he was taller than me. When he got home, I was taller than him. Alot happened during those months he was gone, but thank God I always knew he loved me.

That leads me back to the unfortunate passing of a child. I knew my dad loved me no matter what may have happened while he was in the war. And I know this child knew his family loved him. BUT, can we ever love our kids too much??? Can we ever let them know enough how much we love them????? I say no. My day started at 6am this morning and finished at 8:30pm. I was doing reports until that time. However, I took a full hour to let my boys jump on me, beat me up, kick me in the head, slobber on me.......you get the point. I'm not bragging or anything like that. I know most of you who take the time to read this stuff do the same thing. My point is to never let up. ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS KNOW HOW MUCH THEY ARE LOVED. You can NEVER overdo it. They watch our every moves and worship the ground we walk on. Also, for those who have older children, make sure they talk to you. If they're having trouble at school or with some so called "friends", find out what they're dealing with and let them know you're there for them. You may think this is coming out of left field, but trust me, I don't think anything I've said can be overstated.

It's 11:35pm and when I go to bed in a second, my 4 year old is going to roll over and basically sleep on top of me the rest of the night. (I know Iknow, he needs to be in his own bed......but we're going through being scared of monsters and I'm a softy.) I hope he understands how much he is loved.........thank you God for such wonderful gifts!

Reece

Let's talk some football

Hello all,
It's been a while since I've written, mainly because I had to "push away from the bar" with some of my "angry conservative" rants for a while. No matter how passionate you may be about something, it's never good to let it consume you. So, since I live by the motto of "everything in moderation", I've taken a break. HOWEVER, college football is just something that I'm incapable of doing in moderation. My wife and I have an agreement that I suffer through all her miserable reality shows.....So You Think You Can Dance, Khloe and Kourtney Take Miami, etc.., and on Saturdays and Sundays, it's football all day baby!!

So here are my thoughts about the state of college football. Now remember, I am an insane Bama fan, but I try my best to be objective and look at things how they are and not how I wish they were.

Florida: I still contend that until someone beats them, they are the best team out there. They have shown this year to be human, yes even Superman, cram him down our throats, way awkward sideline moments with head coach, Tim Tebow is human. That concussion was nasty!! When I played football I had 2 concussions that I know of, and they were nowhere near as bad as the one Tebow had. I sat out 2 weeks before I could even dream of hitting someone. I believe that technically, Tebow was okay to play. However, we all know that Meyer's bread and butter is Tebow, and I think he really gambled by putting Superman on the field against LSU. Anyway, I always thought that as long as Superman was there, and the fact that they had a stable of supersonic fast people, that Florida had the makings of one of the best teams of all time. I believe I was wrong. Defensive coordinators have figured out that Florida does not have the receivers to stretch the field, which in turns allows them to key more on Tebow. That long pass for a touchdown against Arkansas was not anything Florida did......it was a major mistake by the defensive back who I guess just made the wrong read. Florida has one of the easiest SEC schedules of recent memory, no fault of their own mind you, that's just how it works out from time to time. They will have to prove against a real defense, probably Bama's, that they have more to offer than Tebow left and Tebow right. I will say this though, Tebow has my all time respect because he's the only person I've ever seen who can run play action to himself.......really think about that......it's sick!! What he has done over his career is simply amazing.....but next time he starts yelling and getting in people's grilles, look at their faces. It's falling on deaf ears.....ever wonder if they get tired of getting no publicity because it all goes to Tebow? Yes, that's very possible, just because they're great athletes does not mean they're not human.

Auburn: I got suckered in my Chizik. I still think he was a much better hire than originally thought. I just think that Malzahn runs a "gimmick" offense and those simply do not work over the course of a season. Think about it, I've always said that football does not change. What worked 20 years ago still works today. That would be the fact that you still have to block and tackle in order to be successful. An offense like that is being run to hide the fact that the athletes are not at the Plains right now. That's an indictment on Tuberville, not Chizik. What Tuberville left behind should be criminal......75 scholarship players on the roster with no probation!! Are you kidding me??? And now that the SEC passed a rule that you can only sign 28 per year, I'm not sure how long it will take them to reach a full 85. A disciplined defense that knows their assignments and makes their reads will have no problem handling the Malzahn offense. They can send a 100 people in motion but it doesn't matter. If you play a disciplined defense, that makes their reads, the trickery no longer matters and then it comes down to who has the better athletes that can block and tackle. It's really not that hard. It's basic football.

Bama: Where do I start? Honestly, I'm loving the 7-0 start, but every game has been so boring b/c none of them besides Va Tech have been close. Please don't take that as typical "arrogant Bama" fan. I'm upset b/c we have 5 regular season games left and it's been 6 weeks since one has been interesting. I truly believe that their defense is appallingly good. I mean, they've made every QB they've played look like a middle school QB. Ryan Mallett had his worst game of his career, b/c he had no idea what Bama was doing. Gary Danielson said last year that, after studying Bama's film, they are the only defense he's seen where you cannot get a presnap read on what's coming. If you're a QB, and you're supposed to get rid of the ball in 3 seconds, the presnap read is slightly important. Every Bama defense gets compared to the '92 defense and I'll say this one is just as good. I'll give you an analogy......remember the old Tecmo Bowl on the original Nintendo? Remember that if you chose the same play that the offense chose, how the D would swarm and there was no way to gain a yard? That's Bama's D. Any running play or pass completed gets swarmed like people at Mardi Gras going after moonpies. I really think, that because of the D, they will always have a legit shot at winning, no matter who they play.
GMAC.....guilty of reading his own press clippings. I know this for a fact b/c I know someone who rooms with him. He's not a bad guy, but he has the Tony Romo syndrome. Went from absolute abscurity to absolute rockstar over night. That's alot for a 21 year old to handle. The good news for Bama fans, my "source" saw him this past Sunday at a cookout and said that GMAC was definitely more humble than usual. Don't know if that came from Saban or South Carolina, but look for him to rebound soon.
Mark Ingram is a beast. He runs harder than anyone I've seen in a long time, and what he lacks in speed and moves, he makes up for in heart. I hate all the Heisman talk. Who needs a Heisman when you could play for a title? The kid is special.
Rolo will be gone after this year....big shocker right? Julio will be gone after next year as will Ingram. Javy will be a first day draft pick and have a great NFL career. Think about how valuable he is to an NFL team. He can play corner, and is about to break the alltime NCAA record for punt return yards. Instead of a team having to make a spot for a punt returner on their Sunday roster, they can use have Javy as a corner and punt returner, which frees up an extra spot for an Olineman or what have you.

Predictions: The Hat gets fired or moves on from LSU, Chizik has a very good year in '10, Bama wins the NC either this year or next. If I HAD to pick today, I say Florida 21 Bama 17 in the SEC title game this year. I just hope USC gets to play UF or Bama and gets a taste of what real football is all about.

Roll Tide.

Reece


***Very impressed with the Huntingdon football team. I played D-3 football, and it's much tougher than most probably think. What they've done in such a short time is really impressive. Whoever their coach is is pretty darn good.

The Time For Politics Is Over....

Famous words of our fearless leader tonight. Funny hearing that from someone who plays politics better than anyone. Example, when the cap and trade bill was being voted on in the House, Hussein and his cronies were burning the phone lines up, adding new addendums to the bill to get other politicians things they wanted so they would vote in favor of it. Hussein never misses an opportunity to remind us for the 1,000th time that "his administration inherited this deficit." He never misses an opportunity to say,"my spending plan costs less than what we've spent in Iraq and Afghanistan." Your right President Douchebag, and you didn't have to deal with 4 hijacked airliners backing you in to a corner to do something either, did you? And you poor thing, you're daddy left your mother when you were a little kid. Welcome to the club of 50% of all marriages that end in divorce. Yeah, you're really on our side....trying to ramrod healthcare reform down our throats b/c...."the American people want it." No, the people you pander to want a handout. There is something in this country called public education....you know, the students you addressed yesterday. You told them not to quit on their education no matter what life may deal them in terms of hardships. Yet, you want to bail out some of the parents of those same students. You know my solution to all of America's problems.....to those dragging us down, to those who are a burden on the taxpaying Americans, to those who cause our insurance rates to go up.......GET OFF YOUR ASS AND GET A JOB!!!! I see 50 mexican-americans (gotta be PC) everyday in my neighborhood building houses. And I'm positive they're all here legally.....I'm sure of it. Take back your country and take those jobs from those illegals living off the hardwork of honest Americans. I GET MY BUTT OUT OF BED EVERDAY AND GO TO WORK MAKING AN HONEST LIVING!!!!! WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO SUPPORT, OR HAVE MY COUNTRY MAKE WIDESWEEPING CHANGES TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO ARE TOO SORRY TO GET OVER THEMSELVES, PULL THEMSELVES UP BY THEIR BOOTSTRAPS, AND GO FIND A WAY TO MAKE SOMETHING OF THEMSELVES?????? I get subjected to the doctrine of fairness everyday in the "unbiased" media. You wanna talk fair???? I'll work hard so you can go to the emergency room for a hangnail, for free b/c you're uninsured, and eventually pay higher insurance rates because of it. WOW, that's really fair. And yes, I know, that's where big brother steps in. They want to offer affordable insurance to those less fortunate. To those who didn't take it upon themselves to get an education. You're going to make it so affordable, that private companies will have no choice but to switch to the gov't option and we can all be controlled by Hussein and his Marxist cronies. Mark my words, if my company EVER switches, I will pay for my own insurance out of pocket. I REFUSE TO LET HUSSEIN HAVE ANY SAY SO IN MY LIFE!!! I've never depended on the gov't before and I'm not about to start now!!! One last thing to the George Clooney's, Sean Penn's and Drew Barrymore's of the world, that our media loves to portray as political experts......WHY THE HELL SHOULD I CARE WHAT SOMEONE WHO MAKES MILLIONS OFF OF PLAYING MAKE BELIEVE FOR A LIVING, HAVE TO SAY ABOUT POLITICS? You play dressup for a living.....you're no smarter than I am.......losers! I absolutely hate the direction of this country, and if things don't change, you can find me, my wife, and my two boys laying on a beach in the Bahamas. At least down there no one cares enough to interfere with my life.

Reece