Minutes to Memories

Days come and go, but on some days you wonder, was this one of the landmark ones?

I went to "Hearts With Hope" this afternoon, which was a Cancer Awareness Festival held at The Shed BBQ Restaurant. My friends, Rochelle Harper and Gary Boswell, were two of the key people behind this great event, and it was good to spend some time out in the heat for such a worthy cause this afternoon.

Recently, after I told Rochelle that my Hillary had sung the national anthem at her school's field day, she asked if Hillary would want to sing it again at the festival. Hillary debated long and hard before finally declaring, "I'll do it." So we waited expectantly for today.

My wife and mother and I tagged along today, and some great friends in Dave and Pamela Harrison braved the Mississippi heat for valuable moral support too, and we all knew right away that Hillary was questioning her decision. She was so scared that she began to cry and felt sick at her stomach. At this point, I hated that I had anything to do with bringing this around, and I gave her every possible means to escape.

But she didn't take any of them.

She continued to struggle with her fear and her decision as we waited and waited, but she never did give up on the idea. I tried to tell her about a thousand things in an attempt to help as we waited, including a little Bible lesson on Jesus crying from being scared in an olive garden. She listened to everything I said, but the decision would ultimately be hers.

And she decided to face her fears, and to conquer them. All on her own.

She was wonderful. I can't tell you the feeling in my heart when the last note was sung and the enthusiastic applause rose from the crowd for my little girl. My hero.

I told her tonight when I tucked her into bed that some people live their whole lives and never face things that scare them head-on because they "choose" to face them. She seemed shocked, but I know it to be true. But at nine years old, she's already climbed one of the biggest mountains of life.

So nothing will be impossible for her.