It's Never Too Late: The Triumphant Return of Alan Moore

I don’t want to have regrets. I guess none of us do. I have said many times that I can’t regret anything that has happened, because I am so happy with where I have ended up. I believe that somehow-- through fate or some crazy set of coincidences-- I am where I am supposed to be. But, if I am being honest, there are things both big and small that I regret. I have made peace with most things, and I think that is the the best I can do.

What I love about this profile on CNN, is that it teaches the lesson that it’s never too late. Even things that sound and seem crazy are attainable. Maybe not in the perfect way you once imagined, but in some way that resembles that dream and makes you feel complete.

So, imagine that your 61 year-old father or grandfather (or uncle or friend) told you he wanted to play college football. Can you imagine your response? It seems crazy, ridiculous, impossible.

Alan Moore made it a reality. At the age of 61, Moore is a kicker on the Faulkner University football team in Montgomery, Alabama, and is the oldest player to ever score in a college football game.

So many times, life itself gets in the way of our dreams. For Moore, it was the Vietnam War and then the need to support himself after coming home. He wasn’t able to go back to college, to pick up where he left off.

Not until now.

He kicks with a shoe with the word BELIEVE painted across the top. He mentions his mother a lot, and his memories of making her proud as a kicker for his small college before the war.

She would be proud now, too.

One of my favorite lines from Moore is "Assholes are great motivators." He said this in reference to those who didn't believe in him, or even made fun of his ambition to return to kicking. He speaks the truth. In the past, there were times when the people who didn't believe in me, who banked on my failure, alternately motivated me more than anyone or anything else.

But what is a also a great motivator is seeing someone put words into action, someone who makes the impossible seem doable.

Someone who makes my dreams, in comparison, seem easily attainable.

Someone like Alan Moore.

Alan Moore with his five grandchildren.

Please read the full profile of Alan Moore here.

 All photos courtesy of Faulkner University and CNN.

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A Dog Named Patrick

Last month, a severely emaciated, abused and neglected pit bull was found in the trash at a New Jersey housing complex. A janitor heard his cries and called for help. The dog had been put in a garbage bag and thrown 19 stories down a trash chute.

The dog was taken to Associated Humane Societies, and then transferred to Garden State Veterinary Specialists, an emergency veterinary hospital. It was the night before St. Patrick’s Day, and the doctors and staff named him Patrick.

This is a photo of Patrick on the night he was brought in. (I struggled with posting this photo on my blog. I know it is graphic in nature, but I figure if Patrick can live through what he did, we can all handle seeing this photo.)

I was working and on my computer a few days after this had happened, and someone on Facebook shared the story. When I clicked the link, the horror of the picture above and other pictures included took my breath away. My husband asked repeatedly, “What’s wrong? Honey, what is it?” before I could even say anything. I was crying before I knew it. I could not believe this dog was even alive.

Here is one of the most recent photos of him. Look at the difference a few weeks makes—under excellent care!

I have seen and heard countless stories of animal abuse and neglect, but because of the extreme nature of this case, I was even more distraught than usual. Stories like this, and stories of child abuse, can get me to a place where I am sick with disgust, and can’t get the victims out of my mind. Apparently, I am not alone.

The good news in this case is that so many people have seen these pictures and are equally appalled. Facebook pages in Patrick’s honor have quickly counted thousands of “likes”.  Newspapers all over the world are covering this case, and the Garden State Veterinary Specialists hospital has been almost overwhelmed by concerned callers, emails, and gifts sent to Patrick. Very quickly, all of Patrick’s medical care was covered (and then some)—and GSVS actually put out a notice asking people to donate to the Associated Humane Societies, or their local shelters.

I believe this little being’s legacy will be the awareness that has come about because of his suffering. I know there are people out there who were truly unaware that anyone could do such a thing to an animal, or that the laws are so slight regarding animal abuse.

The sad and horrible truth is that this kind of thing happens all the time. More than we can imagine. Most cases go almost unnoticed, or the animals die and no one ever knows the truth. 

I am sure that thousands of people have applied to adopt Patrick, and as part of his legacy, I hope these people and thousands of others go to a shelter and rescue one of the other Patricks out there. I love thinking that hundreds or thousands of animals will be saved because of one pup’s fight to stay alive, against the odds.

I struggle all the time to think of ways I can help more. For now, I am just giving all my rescue animals—Lilly, Lucy, Baxter, and Bear-- all the love they can handle.

Here are links to recent articles:

Pit bull abandoned in NJ gains worldwide following

Look at him now! Patrick the Pit Bull makes remarkable recovery... 

 

And a link to The GSVS Animal Hospital’s Facebook Page, who have provided such amazing care for Patrick (you can follow their updates on his care).

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Hope and Healing

The Today Show, shortly after the accident.

Stephanie Nielson is a survivor. In August of last year, she and her husband very nearly died in a private plane crash. Stephanie's blog, NieNie Dialogues was popular before the crash, so her many readers and other bloggers rallied for her, creating buttons for blogs and websites to raise money and alert everyone to her story.
That was how I found out about Stephanie, through other bloggers. I began to read her blog, post after post before the accident, to get to know her. Although she and I don't share the same faith or lifestyle, I felt a connection with her words, her humor, and her honesty.
The posts after the crash are heart wrenching. She and her husband both suffered severe burns, and rehabilitation, especially for Stephanie, has been grueling. Her face was burned badly, and she has endured surgeries and a great deal of pain in the process of healing.
Reading the posts after August, her words are raw and real, and so compelling. Her appearance has obviously changed, and reading that her own children were scared of her at times, made me hurt for her. As she writes of her insecurities about her appearance now, I can so understand how devastating that would be. Her words are soaked with the loss she feels, and her worries and trepidation about how she will find herself again.
She and her husband (she always refers to him as Mr. Neilson in her posts) have a strong marriage, and his support for her is amazing. She adores him, and that adoration oozes from every post. It is a great love story.
Her journey is one worth reading about. I am rooting for her, as I know so many readers are.
So many times I curse the internet for pop ups, spam, and lurking viruses. But like Matt Logelin's story, Stephanie's is one that makes me believe that cyberspace can be such a beautiful place. So many people reaching out, loving her without ever having met her, offering her support and encouragement, it heartens my faith in human beings. The ability for so many people to "circle the wagons" for others in far away places makes all the other things I curse seem obsolete.
It also makes me believe that out of tragedy can come unexpected kindness; a flood of support that can make those who have lost so much find hope. And hope is where the healing begins.

Check out Stephanie's blog here.

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