From an e-mail I received recently:

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school.  His name was Kyle.  It looked like he was carrying all of his books.  I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?  He must really be a nerd."  I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.  As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.  His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.  He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.  My heart went out to him.  I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.  As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks.  They really should get lives."  He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face.  It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.  I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.  As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.  He said he had gone to private school before now.  I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.

We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.  He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.  I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends.  He said yes.  We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.  Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.  I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.  When we were seniors we began to think about college.  Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.  I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.  He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.  Kyle was valedictorian of our class.  I teased him all the time about being a nerd.  He had to prepare a speech for graduation.  I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.  Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great.  He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.  He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.  He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.  Boy, sometimes I was jealous!  I could see that he was nervous about his speech.  So I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"  He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled..."Thanks" he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough times.  Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach....but mostly your friends...I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.  I  am going to telll you a story."  I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told about the first day we met.  He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.  He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.  He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.  "Thankfully, I was saved.  My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."  I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.  I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.  Not until that moment did I realize its' depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions.  With one small gesture you can change a person's life - for better or for worse.  God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.

 

 

 

 Where did time go, the first half of Rodeo Season has gone by really fast. I want to thank everyone for their help in the arena and out of the arena. Like life, we had a few ups and downs, but for the most part, it went really smooth.

 

 It was good to see all those that were able to come to the Lafayette Rodeo. There were a few snags but I think our kids handled the challenge very well.  I am proud of you guys for displaying such good attitudes.

I want to thank everyone for their calls and emails. Please know that you can call me about anything.

We have a few people that have not turned in their ad/sponsorship money. This must be turned in to Mrs. Bess Gardner before January 1 to  avoid a penalty charge.

 Also, you need to get your drawdown tickets sold. We still have a lot of tickets left. Contact Ms. Karen Carter to get more.

 Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  See you in Andalusia,

Jerry Varner

PS - Stay in the Practice Pen

 

 

 

 

You know I have been really busy working on this rodeo stuff but I forgot that I have a slot on this Officer's Newsletters page. I know our first rodeo had a few bumps but it is behind us and I, for one, am looking forward to smooth sailing (I hope).

Anyway, just a few nuggets to remember:
* Don't forget to check the website for dates and times and call-ins and newsletters. We are high tech these days (sort of) and the web page should have plenty of info for you.

* Call if you need to. Under the link for the Board of Directors, there are phone numbers for the directors and officers and secretaries that have volunteered their time to help you have a great rodeo experience. There are no silly or stupid questions.

* Sell your sponsorships! I can't emphasize this enough. I know we have a minimum sale quota of $300.00. But if you have a rodeo in your region, sell banners and event sponsorships and even booths for the local rodeo. Also, promote that some of the money raised goes toward scholarships, not just putting on our rodeos. Don't go for the least amount of sponsorship money you can get. Ask for the most! You can always come down but you can't go up. Bess Gardner is our sponsorship secretary and she can help you in any way.

Again, I am excited about our new season and am looking forward to getting to know you better this year!

Cowboy & Cowgirl Up!
Ms. Michelle 

Wow! We already have two rodeos under our belts and it is almost November! It is hard to believe! As we approach our next rodeo which is the multi-state in Perry, GA, I want to encourage everybody to get involved! It can be anything from the spirit contest @ Perry to student event directors! I also want to encourage everybody to help out with our skit after the Saturday night performance! If you want to participate please get in touch with me or our Queen, Cally Stubbs! Also, if you live around Geneva, AL, and do not plan to participate in the cutting on November 12 please come support our cutters! It is a lot of fun! I hope to see everybody at Perry!

Taylor Frazier