My testimony on the 700 Club

Thought ya'll might like to hear the real deal... well, a very condensed version of it ;)

Be blessed :) God is mighty!

Surrendered

I usually don't share my personal poetry, not because I am ashamed, but because I value keeping certain things sacred. Along the same lines, I am a vulnerable woman and am willing to share my struggles along with my joy. Like you, I am not finished yet. Praise God!

Surrender

Here I am
Broken yet again
Wounded by stabs of complacency
Jaded by forgetfulness
Tossed around by waves of neglect
Pierced with biting tongues
Have I yet again been abandoned?

Why have You taken me back to this place?!
Haven’t I experienced enough?
Or haven’t I learned how to rest in our relationship
That I seek for more and more
In those unable to fully deliver?

I love
I give
I offer
If it hasn’t been done in vain
And I don’t always have the privilege of knowing its results
Is it too much to ask to at least experience Your pleasure in me?
Or should I already know it by my lifestyle?

I know You and have Your love
Yet rejection slices through my skin
Layer by layer
Only to tear open sorrowful blisters that I find myself covering with the band-aid of salvation, dismissing my wretchedness

I stand in Job’s position--knowing Your goodness and sovereignty
Yet denying it and denying You when I’m drowning in pain
I trust my best interest is Your heart
Yet I question my endless position in the pit

I know You
I have heard Your voice
I have experienced and know Your love
I walk in Your transformational power
I know and have seen the power of Your healing
I have been Your miracle and I see them before my very eyes
I have watched You restore completely
I have received endless gifts from You
I see Your plan unfolding
Every day I meet with You

Yet I don’t understand You
I don’t know all of Your ways, nor will I ever
You speak in ways that sometimes intimidate me;
I sometimes ponder how We’ll pull off Your off-the-wall, divine plan
Even while I remain close to You
Often times Your rawness frightens me
Praise to Your name!
All the while in my pain
My heart cannot be anxious or divided
Because even in the sea of confusion I still see Your undying pursuit of me

Daily, I fall on my knees in endless tears
Praising and thanking You
But have I been seeking Your heart?
When did I step out of the secret place
Where I used to feel your breath?
And the light wind of your presence?
Where I never wanted to leave because the atmosphere was drenched with You?Be it only a few days, I am lost
Let me find You again!

I know You are jealous for me
But it hurts, Daddy
To think I have something true
But really don’t
Have I truly fallen for this?
Have I fallen for giving and occasionally wanting something in return?
Perhaps if I truly realized that You gave endlessly knowing You’d never receive ALL of what you gave for
I would understand real love again

Oh, have mercy on me
Let me have the privilege of sitting again in Your classroom
Guide me in Your grace and unfathomable knowledge and wisdom
Continue to be patient with me
As I learn to righteously live Your Word

Please keep teaching me about the ways of the One Who reconstructs me
Though it tarry, I will wait and learn from Your healing
Killing me as it seems
And killing me it is, Praise Your name!
Keep me here as long as you desire
And then carry me back to the palace
Where the Comforter fills me inexpressible
Where joy is complete
Newness is found
Where redemption becomes real

I want Your satisfying love to completely satisfy me
Help me to find my shelter in only You again
Please, let me have Your heart again
Let me feel Your heartbeat
Hold me close; embrace me with Your mighty arms
Keep me shielded by your wings
Please, Daddy, never let me go, or out of Your sight

I don’t want the wavy waters without You
I don’t want the calm ones either
Back to Your heart I come
At Your feet I lay
Pick me up, Daddy, I cannot BE without You

Continue to screen me, my Prince
And be with me now more than ever
You, who are my Armor
Guard my heart
Lower me daily!
Tear me open if I must be torn
Prune what must be pruned
Strip the joy if you must
That what is broken may be mended by Your touch
Strike the areas that must be stricken
Mutilate my flesh
Wash me again and again in Your cleansing blood

The pain is worth having You closer
Know I will never stop falling to my knees for You
Your name will always be honored
Held high by the praise of my lips
May the tears that represent my love language to You be glorifying to You

I am over me
I am Yours and only Yours
Wholly and truly
Here I am, surrendered
Do with me what You will.

The deadly plague

Believe it or not, there is a deadly pestilence roaming the earth called “comparing yourself to others”. Whether you want to admit it or not, this spirit invades each of us at one time or another. It’s the pestilence that chews away your confidence and worth. Don't be timid about its affect-it can kill you. The good news is that it doesn’t HAVE to swallow the core of who you are. When the spirit lingers around you, you have a choice to receive it or reject it. I suggest you reject it.

How many times have you looked at someone-his or her brains, clothes, body shape, car, hair, or personality and said “If only…” or “I could have that, too, if I do A, B and C…” or even “I could gain acceptance from him or her if I did A, B and C”. How often do you critique the personality of someone more “attainable” than you only to end the day feeling discouraged and like you can never make it to the top? How often do you find yourself saying “I’ll never be able to…” or “Why couldn’t I have been like this…”

If you’ve said or thought these things once, you’ve said or thought them once too much. Because you are loved, uniquely accepted, chosen and approved by your Maker, you have no reason or right to compare yourself with others. Make the decision to stop allowing those thoughts to rule your mind. You have not been fashioned to fit in Sally’s shoes, look like Lisa, or have Wally’s personality. You haven’t even been entrusted with Gracie’s gift of knowing how to solve every math problem on the face of the planet, so relax, allow yourself a chuckle for understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and CHOOSE to accept that you are delightfully different!

Certainly the first tool in waging war against comparison is to understand who and why your Creator is; when that revelation comes, you realize who and why you are. I highly suggest meditating on the Sword, especially during those vicious cycles of destructive thinking, to fully grasp the importance of who you are to Him and others. I also still believe one of the best things you can do to combat this locust of comparison is to strengthen your strengths. Sure you’ll run into difficulties learning to master your craft, and you may even find yourself battling comparison in THAT area, but I’m convinced that a choice to overcome is all it takes.

Understand your value. Understand your purpose in the world. Understand your absolute worth of being fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t allow a bubble of lies to infiltrate your mind; choose to do something about them! Stomp on them, scream at them, stare them in the face and reject them! Laziness is already too prevalent in this culture so do yourself a favor: get off your butt, learn your passions, find your gifts and develop them! Before you know it, you’ll be soarin’ the skies of heaven in full assurance that YOU are worth more than you give yourself credit for, are exquisitely valuable to your Creator and you will find yourself knowing confidence like you’ve never known it before!

Happy thoughts!

Speechless!

Okay… I can NOT contain myself anymore! I am beyond words at this point! These past two weeks have taken me from carriage ride to cloud nine! And I think you’ll soon understand why…

But first, you wanna know why I refuse to believe God doesn’t answer the dreams you dreamt when you were 6?! Or answered the wee little prayer you prayed before you went to bed when you were 15?! Because He breathes life into dead dreams, especially the ones you wanted to keep believing for but purposefully suppressed because you thought there would NEVER be any chance that they would actually be fulfilled. I’ve got news for you… God knows your dreams! He implanted them in you! And I don’t doubt for a moment that He wants to answer them! He may take 17 years, but He answers dreams! I am living proof!

It all started two weeks ago when I had the opportunity to meet and talk with a presidential candidate (see photo albums). What a memorable blessing! That was Monday...

Tuesday, I had a marvelous conversation with the horsemanship director at a local ranch, who said he would love to have me at the ranch any time I wanted. He would teach me everything I ever wanted to know about horses and how to properly ride… for FREE. (The only thing that stopped me from learning to ride when I was younger was *money*… I continued to dream about being on the ranch my entire life hoping that “one day” I’d have the opportunity…) I now joyfully spend my Saturdays at the ranch in my favorite clothes (comfy old jeans, cowboy boots and my good ol’ fashioned JEAN jacket) taking care of God’s BEAUTIFUL creation of horses, and learning to properly ride. Someday I hope to show! Oh, and I also get to jump around in the mud… an added bonus ;)(Dream #1 fulfilled)

Wednesday, I found out I was for sure going to Africa for about two weeks this summer.
(Dream #2 fulfilled)

Thursday, I got a random phone call from a good friend who works for the Journalism department at Regent. He was impressed with my writing and offered me, an undergrad, a part-time position as the editor of Focus Magazine (a graduate student magazine). Not only will I gain experience, but I get to set my own hours, my good friend is my boss, and this will look flllyyyyyy on my resume!

Thursday night I found out a genocide survivor from Rwanda was speaking at Regent! (Rwanda is the nation on my heart that I find myself weeping over A LOT, especially these past four months. I have a burden for the people who suffered the genocide) I went to see him, talked with him, and went to hear him give his powerful testimony again the following Monday. This man miraculously escaped the Hutu’s who chased him with machetes... UNBELIEVABLE!

The following Monday I got a random phone call from a woman who works at CBN. Someone contacted her and said I had an extremely powerful testimony that she might be interested in. I shared it with her over the phone and she asked me if I would be willing to be interviewed to share my story on the 700 Club. Have the opportunity to inspire others who are suffering with the same pain I once experienced? Um, YEAH!

Tuesday, I had lunch with my cousin’s wife, who in the middle of our conversation mentioned her sister-in-law and her husband were moving to RWANDA this summer. I will probably have an opportunity to spend some time there... You cannot possibly imagine the depth of the love I have for the people who suffered the genocide… and the orphans that were left… I have been yearning to go for months! THIS IS HUGE!!!!

Tuesday night I received a phone call asking if I was free to host the Reel Street Review show on Wednesday night (which I normally blog for and work crew for). I’ve only wanted to be on camera since I was about 7 years old… ! I had the opportunity to shoot my first “professional” show… and actually have an audience other than myself and my sister haha... 17 years after I first dreamt it. (Dream #3 fulfilled)

AND... I was invited to the 700 Club’s “Living the Life” show tomorrow afternoon. I get to stand with the producers and watch them run the show. Even more importantly for me, I can learn from Terry! I’m sure I’ll get to meet some phenomenal people!

...so, what does Friday hold? ;)

…You cannot tell me God doesn’t fulfill dreams, IN ABUNDANCE!!!

Dreams really do come true!

(Okay, here's one I DIDN'T write... but I still encourage you to read it. All I gotta say is, this is TRUTH! I've been experiencing fulfilled dreams back to back for months now, and at this point, the only response I have is to express my thankfulness and joy in tears because there are just NO words... This note is all about the One who radically and romantically pursuits YOU daily and desires to give you nothing less than your biggest dreams. When you read it, listen to "When you were a child" by Jason Upton, remembering to "trust", and that when it comes to your dreams "love remembers". Take time to examine your heart when you were a child. Most of your dreams began then. And know they were heard, and certainly not forgotten. Oh, and, don't forget your tissues... just in case.)

Your Dreams Can Come True

By Richard Lee

I think we all want to count in life. We want to make a difference some how, some way, in our world. A little girl shuts herself in her room and dances with dreams of o­ne day becoming a beautiful ballerina. A little freckled-faced boy bounces a ball off the side of the house, catching it in his glove and dreaming of the Big Leagues. The student dreams of a diploma; the graduate, that promising new job; the worker, that long sought after promotion. What do all these people have in common? They are dreaming that they will count for something – that o­ne day they will “make it in life.” They are dreaming that because of their life, things will be different.

I have good news for everyone who has dreamed such dreams: God created every o­ne to make a difference in this world. There is no o­ne who doesn’t count. Everyone is an essential part in the plan of God.

It is our ability to dream that makes us unique. We have been created in the image of God. Therefore, we can dream, hope, and plan. These are the expressions of His will in our lives.

Dreaming is:
what you want to be;
where you want to go;
what you want to do;
goals you’d like to reach;
plans you’d like to make;
projects you hope to achieve.
Faith is the key that places your dreams and aspirations into the hands of God. He is able to cause all our dreams to not o­nly come true but to reach their fullest potential.

There is no greater story in the Bible to illustrate this than the miracle found in John 6:5-14. Jesus and His disciples were faced with a challenging situation. As Christ had begun teaching upon a mountainside, a great multitude of people had gathered to hear Him. The Bible says there were about five thousand men in the crowd that day. When these people became hungry, the disciples were perplexed at how they would feed them all. What would they do?

At that very moment, Andrew, o­ne of the disciples, announced there was a small boy in the crowd who had five barley loaves and two fish, adding, “But what are they among so many?” (v. 9).

The Lord took the food which the boy had surrendered to Him, blessed the loaves, and gave then to the disciples to distribute to the people. Then Jesus did the same thing with the fish. As the disciples moved from person to person handing out the bread, there continued to be an endless supply left in their hands, and likewise with the fish. In fact, the Bible tells us that when they were finished, they had not o­nly fed the entire multitude but they had also collected twelve baskets full of leftover fragments!

Imagine, o­ne small boy, through a simple act of surrender, became the central figure in o­ne of the most phenomenal miracles that Jesus ever performed. His sacrifice made a difference for thousands of people. In the same way, you and I can never underestimate the significance of a single act of surrender o­n our part in our own day and age; we, too, can be part of God’s miracle in our world.

Perhaps you are just living day to day. Perhaps there doesn’t seem to be any special significance about your life at all. You simply get up in the morning, go to work for the day, and come home and go to bed at night. Your life is caught in the routines and ruts and doesn’t seem to have any real purpose. Perhaps you feel a little like the man in the following poem:
Poor, poor, Solomon Grundy,
Born o­n Monday,
Christened o­n Tuesday,
Married o­n Wednesday,
Sick o­n Thursday,
Sicker o­n Friday,
Died o­n Saturday,
Buried o­n Sunday,
And that was the end of Solomon Grundy.

It may be that in the daily grind you feel that life isn’t worth living after all. You o­nce dreamed great dreams, but now you feel as if your dreams have passed you by. Well, if that is the case, then I have life changing news for you – You can dream again! You can see your dreams come true as you learn that surrendering your life to the God who makes dreams come true, is the God who is rooting for you!

However, just as in the story of the little boy with the loaves and fish who became the conduit for the miracle of Christ, dreams don’t just happen – they come true through principles, preparation, and prayer.

#1 – Be in the right place at the right time. I’ve often heard people in the business world comment o­n other’s success by saying, “Oh, he was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time.” But, as any successful business person will tell you, they were in the right place at the right time because they have already made important decisions that placed them there. The little boy in the Book of John was in the right place because when others forgot their food, he had prepared his in advance. Preparation leads to being in the right place at the right time.

#2 – Discover God’s will for your life. I have found six ways to be effective in discovering God’s will for my own life. God’s will revealed in:· The Word of God – “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105).· The Witness of the Holy Spirit – Christ promised us, in John 16, that the Holy Spirit would come to “guide you in all truth.” We must give Him the chance to do so through prayer and meditation o­n His word.· The Walk of fellowship with God – Have you ever seen an older married couple that has been married for many years? They can finish each other’s sentences and seem to know everything the other is thinking. That comes from close fellowship with o­ne another. The same goes from our relationship with God. The more time we spend in fellowship with Him, the more we know Him and His will when we face life’s decisions.
· The Wisdom of God – The apostle James tells us that God will grant wisdom to anyone who asks for it in prayer (James 1:5). It is reassuring to know that God is ready to give us wisdom if we ask for it.
· The Workers of God – These are our fellow believers who have been faithful through many trials and tribulations of their own. It is essential to seek out Godly wisdom and counsel from those who have been down that road before.
· The Works of God – When God closes a door we must be careful not to look for an open window. We must never forget that God is a loving heavenly Father. He will guide us in love and with protection if we are sensitive to His direction.

#3 – Go with what you already have. The success of the little boy’s involvement in Christ’s miracle is that he was willing to offer what little he had. Too often people fail to respond to the calling of God by faith because they believe that what they have to offer is so insignificant that God could not use it. Yet, we forget that the God who created the universe out of nothing can certainly multiply all that we have to give Him. Which leads us to our last point:

#4 – Give God all that you have. The little boy didn’t offer to split his lunch with Jesus, he gave it all. Now, I’m not suggesting that you sell all your earthly possessions and give it to a ministry. The greatest possession that you have is not your money, family, or your job – it is the eternal relationship that you have with the living God. Money will come and go but Christ alone is everlasting.

This little boy in John’s account of Christ’s miracle could not have ever imagined what would come from his simple offering. Likewise, you and I cannot imagine what will come from our lives being surrendered to the will and purpose of God!

Loving who I am and loving what I love

I am learning more and more that I love who I am and love what I love for a purpose. When I was younger I learned that my name means “warrior”, and just recently I learned that it represents “nature” and “woods”. Wow, does any body else agree that that makes A LOT of sense? I can tell you that I certainly am a warrior who loves nature and the woods.

The warrior is evident because I’ve never been one to give up, or give in. When I’m faced with circumstances beyond my control I press in believing for my breakthrough. I seek for the things my heart desires, and I usually get them, in due season. I’ve always enjoyed a little argument, for the sake of personal growth; somehow quarrelsome conversation has always intrigued me. My vision for the future is rooted in a solid understanding that “I CAN do it”, and I refuse to be set back by physical or emotional pain. No one has ever been able to burn my light of hope, and what I believe rests firmly on the Truth that’s been revealed to me. The "nature" and "woods" comes out in me when I remember that the woods was often a place I retreated to, and still is, for clarity and sheer enjoyment. And for me, to experience everything nature has to offer from animals, insects and a moonlit sky to hiking and biking the rough terrains of the outdoors, is to fully experience this roller coaster ride called life.

It’s rare that I experience jealousy and you’d have to write on your calendar if I ever blushed. It takes a lot for me to be offended at someone who teases me. Not a person in the world could convince me that I am worthless, and when I take a stand on something I’ll be the first to share my opinion. When you hurt me you’ll know it right away, and when I’m supposed to be in bed recovering from sickness or surgery I’ll do everything I can instead of resting because I hate not being able to enjoy every day the way I want to. I hate when people patronize me and others, and if you do it, I’ll confront you in a heartbeat.

Now, regardless of how many others jump on my “loving-life-this-way” band wagon, here’s to understanding that what I love is GOOD, and why I love what I do is GOOD:
Not many people call driving in an old, beat up, pick up truck on a dirt road in the country, with my hair blowing in my face “fun”, but it’s fun to me. Hardly any one I know likes to be outdoors as much as I do. It’s rare to find people who will spontaneously go on a road trip with me. I’d be lucky to find one soul who will listen to country music with me and actually like it. Very few people appreciate the Discovery channel and Animal Planet like I do. I have yet to find people who dream like I do. I’d rather lie in the grass and watch the stars, or read or write, then watch a movie. I like to spend my free time in the woods. Hiking, biking, and running are in my top 5 list of favorite things to do. And to be brutally honest, I would rather travel 100 miles to feed the ducks at the lake than watch a game of football that I was never taught to understand. Basketball may not be my strongest sport, nor is hockey, just as much as painting and drawing are not my artistic gifts. I know as much about skiing and snowboarding as I do how to fix a car or cook a gourmet meal. But among the many traits and abilities I WAS given, I can probably make you laugh (even if it’s at my own expense), inspire you with my life story, give you secrets on how to make the perfect snowball, teach you how to stay physically fit, write well, and invite and encourage you to try new things with me.

Do these things make me different? Yes. Do they make me unique? Yes. Do they make me fearfully and wonderfully made? HEAVENS YES! Not everyone will like everything I do because they aren’t me! And that’s okay! I’ve always recognized that my personality is unique. I go to great lengths to experience life the Kellie way, if just for one opportunity to smile, laugh, or experience freedom. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to waste the gift of who I’ve been created to be because no body else will enjoy me WITH me! My life, like yours, is designed to filter enjoyment, encouragement and, ultimately, healing to others. If you aren’t one that my personality and gifts reach, then that’s okay. They will reach somebody else.

It's easy to understand that the process of learning how to enjoy who you are can be intimidating. If you’re like me, you will hit bumps from time to time wondering why you feel like an outsider and you’ll begin frowning upon what you love because no body else loves it. You’ll spend endless time hoping to meet someone with the same passions who is willing to step along side of you, all the while stomping on the rejection card that often says “What you love is ridiculous. No body else loves it. You might as well give it up because it’s not worth enjoying”. But setting those lies aside, I’ve learned that even when it seems like I have to beg people to join me in what I love to do I’m still going to love what I love because the very passions that are cradled within my heart were given to me with purpose. I remain confident that I love what I do for a reason, and I will NOT compromise that for anybody.

So what about learning to participate in the passions of others? I certainly attest to the fact that a lack of experience and knowledge for what other people love can be so intimidating or unpleasing that you don’t even want to give it the benefit of having your first try. But, the truth is, embarrassment and shame of not knowing how to do certain activities can rob you of having a memorable time and learning something. In my relationships, I want to show evidence of being passionate about what others are passionate about because I want to be closer with them. I want to learn how to love them on a deeper level by meeting them in a place that is safe to them. If befriending a new person means I will paint on a canvas for the first time in my life, I will do it with her because it’s what she loves to do and it shows her that I care about who she is and what she loves. All of this comes down to sacrificial love. Are you willing to sacrifice your time and desires to engage in sharing the joys of others?

I am not ashamed of not knowing the things I have yet to learn, and I am not ashamed of loving who I am and what I love. To me, the key to being content with who you are, regardless of how other people respond to you, is to choose not to dwell on the dreams and gifts you weren’t given, but to learn to love and develop those you were. And finally, if you want to truly love who you are and what you love, you must not compare yourself with other people. Talk about circling in a vicious cycle of rejection! If you do that you’ll walk away discouraged, and you’ll never learn what being you is all about.

So, start enjoying what you enjoy, and save the world from another clone of somebody else. Be who you are, enjoy what you enjoy, and love it in the process!

Sweet Memories

While I'm currently living in the spirit of loving who I've been, who I am, and who I will be, I feel like pouring myself on all of you. Something in me says "this girl wants OUT", and I'm dying to share my life with you! This story is a true memoir about something I always looked forward to from my toddler years through my young adult-hood while living in a small town. Hope you enjoy.

Sweet Memories

I fondly recall my childhood days in a two stop-light, one mini-market town where everyone knew everyone. Our coroner was personally known by nearly everyone, and it wasn’t unusual to see Tucker and Gary, the town cops, drive by my house at least once a day. My eye doctor used to have me over for dinner and, if the car broke down, all Daddy had to do was walk around the corner to Louie Fusco’s house and ask him to fix it, no questions asked. My hometown valued friendships and we enjoyed helping each other.

I always wondered why we didn’t do more together as a community, since we were such a small town. Nonetheless, sweetness rolled around the second week every August when our town held its yearly seven-day carnival. Those nights were filled with extra-buttered popcorn; bittersweet, dripping, hot caramel apples on a stick; and cotton candy so sweet that Mom nearly had an aneurysm thinking about our upcoming cavities. The taste of funnel cakes with extra powdered sugar was a tradition, too, that she and I shared as we sat curbside watching our friends continually loose the coin-operated eight-ball game. These became savored memories that were forever glued in my heart.

Gut-wrenching rides like the Tilt-A-Whirl, the SuperSlide and the Swings quenched my eager spirit so much that the thought of riding them nearly created an ants-in-my-pants experience. Although I enjoyed a good laugh watching the senior citizens dance to the country band, dodging the crowd was the founding of a new swing move that only I could have mastered. It was always amusing to see the older ladies from church gathered under the town library hall, near the Superslide, playing Bingo on old cart tables and chairs donated from one of the few churches in our town. They were entertaining to watch, mostly because of their competitive attitudes. A group of ladies devoted to their game, I still saw them as I jolted to that end of the carnival, after three hours of hopping between rides, to catch my next slide down the SuperSlide. It wasn’t unusual to see Miss. Mary, the smiley, 30-year town librarian, who had a hunch back and white hair, sipping a large cup of fresh-squeezed lemonade and walking around investigating the tables to make sure there were enough Bingo chips. She was always such a sweet, helpful lady.

Probably one of the glorious moments during the carnival was watching my softball coaches get soaked at the dunking booth. One after the other, they proudly sat on the end of the booth waiting for players to hit the small, circular, white button. My turn finally came around and, when I was forced to listen to my coach jokingly patronize my pitching skills, I decided to roll with my adrenaline rush and throw the tennis balls as hard as I could. After two or three missed shots and the ringing voice of my coach, I eliminated all rules to the game, ran to the white button and pressed it as hard as I could. She fell in every time that way. I felt overly exuberated after dunking her, like a victorious, Olympic athlete who scored a ten on her recent competition against a more experienced opponent. My team endured a strenuous season of softball training, including endless laps around the field for undelivered strike-outs, so I looked forward to this part of the carnival.

But, by far, the one thing during the carnival that brought numbing sensations to my body was the everyday taste of those out-of-this-town (literately), thicker and juicier than ever buffalo burgers. And all I had to do to get my hands on one was walk one block! Those suckers were twice the size of our normal burgers, the ones that every one bought from Ted’s Meat Market. Ol’ Teddy may have had some beefy sized cattle that fixed a scrumptious meal for country folk, but when these juicy babies were smoked over the grill in the American Legion, they immediately transformed into heavenly beings. It didn’t even occur to us that they were overpriced for a small town carnival. We dropped the same price for a buffalo burger that we did a pound of ground beef, but hey, we all knew a craving satisfied was certainly worth it!

I’ll never forget the nights I would come home, after hours already spent with my neighborhood at the carnival, to sit beside my opened bedroom window and listen to the country band play as everyone went home. Living two streets up from the yearly festivities brought several advantages like this, including having a place to store all the beta fish we won while tossing rings over beer bottles. The most rewarding part about the close of the carnival evenings, though, was that since everything was heard from my bedroom window, I got to hear the jubilance of a tired, yet ecstatic crowd who ripped through games, food, and rides to experience life in a small town.

My eagerness to blend in with the crowd and ride rides grew as I anticipated experiencing the fullness of the carnival. Watching Main Street turn into a sea of fun-seeking friends made the twelve month wait worth it. Whether I was a child or an adult, I protected this special week of the year. And although living in a neighborhood with two stop-lights and one mini-market didn’t give me many options for fun, the many festivities and alluring smells of the carnival satisfied my every desire.