Like Any Normal Day

"Like Any Normal Day" by Mark Kram, Jr.

A very interesting book, one that I don't necessarily agree with but, gets you thinking.  This is the story of Buddy, who is an all-star high school football player. He has it all going for him, friends, girls, athleticism, and personality.  It took about 30 seconds to change all that.  At a football game he was tackled, flipped upside down and landed on his head.  He lay facedown on the field, believing these were his last moments.  Now this happened in 1973, before all the precautions against injury were in place.  He was flipped onto his back, lifted onto a stretcher, and placed into an ambulance with the assumption he had a broken leg.  Buddy ended up with a broken neck that left him paralyzed.  The brunt of his care was shouldered by his mother. Buddy was in constant pain from spasms that left him weary.  He was extremely worried about what would happen to him once his mother was too old to care for him, and that time was fast approaching.  He felt guilty for the huge burden that he was to his mother.  Buddy wanted his mother to be able to live her own life before it was too late for her.  He had an incredible bond with his youngest brother, Jimmy.  Jimmy lived to see Buddy laugh.  He also shoulder Buddy's emotional well being.  One day Buddy had had enough of his suffering and asked Jimmy if he would take him to Dr. Kevorkian.  Buddy made all the arrangements and Jimmy agreed.  Jimmy felt like so much had been taken from Buddy that he deserved to have this one thing.  This is a story of hardship, struggle, brotherly devotion, and unending love.  It is a story that tells of how tragedy affects so many.  

The Blind Side

"The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis

Most people have seen the movie and I really like the movie. I wanted to see what the book had to offer. The book had a lot more information about football, my husband is now impressed with my knowledge. But it also added more of who the person Michael Oher was. It really is an unbelievable story of a poor, homeless black teen who is brought in by a rich, Evangelical, white family. The love they show Michael and the devotion he returns is heart lifting. "God gives people money to see how you're going to handle it. And she (Leigh Anne-the white mother who adopted Michael) intended to prove she knew how to handle it." She used her money to buy Michael clothes, of which he only had one shirt and a pair of shorts. She used her money to feed him, send him to school and cover his basic needs. May we all prove we know how to handle God's money. The father, Sean, was asked how he felt about the experience. He replied, "It's ruined us. Because so far as I can see, there's no downside. We can't look at a kid who's in trouble now without asking, 'If we had him, could we turn him around?' So what do we do when he leaves? Do we do it again?" I love the heart of this family. They are so giving and willing to take a chance on someone who needs the love of Christ. This is an amazing story and inspires me to be willing to help those in need.