Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.

This is Elaine. Elaine is a gym instructor and personal trainer who is aka "Elaine, The Mistress of Pain."

When she is not bruising people's bodies, she's saving kittens.

What many don't know is that Elaine (too) enthusiastically leads a gym class at 5 AM at the OCH Wellness Connection. and then immediately leaves to lead another workout with our kids on the Starkville High Cross Country team at 6 AM.

It's people like her that make our community such a wonderful place to live. I wanted to take a moment to say, "Thank you" because I appreciate it. #52WoG

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 26, 2020.

As a participant in the Inroads program, I had the wonderful opportunity as a high school junior to intern at Entergy in Jackson, Mississippi. There, I met this super smart computer science student from Millsaps College named Bhaskar Dutt. From the day I stepped off the elevator into the IT Department, Bhaskar was eager to share everything he knew with me.

Back when the primary means of connecting to another computer required a dial-up connection, Bhaskar introduced me to peer-to-peer protocols using the DOS game One Must Fall. He helped me resolve IRQ conflicts in my first custom build 486 PC. (And yes, it was because of the sound card.)

But, what Bhaskar did that was most profound was he related to me in a way that communicated that IT was a place that I, as someone who didn't look like most of the people in the room, belonged. As a result, I never left and will be forever grateful. #52WoG

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 19, 2020.

I love this man. On Friday's before work, Chris Walker and I would call each other, lay bare our lives and wrestle to bring them into submission of Christ. What I love about Chris was his refusal to accept anything without thinking it through for himself. He would take Scripture and work through why its reasoning was superior to his own.

Admittedly, our marriages were the impetus for most of our conversations as we stumbled and struggled to be husbands that loved our wives in the manner that Christ loved the Church. I remember we were discussing John 15 and Chris said with tears, "I love Laranda. I would jump in front of a bullet for her. But that's not what it means to love her. Loving my wife isn't a heroic act, it's laying down my self-interest for her benefit -every day."

Chris passed in 2016. I am grateful for the time he was in my life. I'm sharper for it. #52WoG

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 12, 2020.

I spent a lot of time with my Uncle Henry growing up. On this particular day, I'm sitting in the passenger seat of his pristine, blue Toyota Cressida. We're parked outside a convenience store. In one hand he has a five dollar bill and with the other he points to a compartment in the car filled with change. A man of few words, he says kindly, "Which one do you want?" I looked intently at the change that was more silver than copper and said, "The change." Uncle Henry smirked, turned off the car and said "Well, count it out. Let's see how you did." There were a lot of quarters and the change came out to a little more than seven dollars. "Smart," he said. "Come on." And, we went inside.

Maybe he knew it, maybe he didn't, but the many little moments I shared with him like that are etched in my heart and shaped my life. See, he made me want to make smart choices because I wanted to be like him. I am deeply grateful for that. #52WoG