2011 Proceedings - National FFA Organization

ilEy pAgEtt continuEd
when we identify our fears, make those
fears fearful of us, accept the opposition
and choose to run towards that adversity
full force.
We can choose courage every day.
Caleb from the Mont Belvieu FFA Chapter
in Texas chose courage by asking to
attend national FFA convention despite
his fear of being left out. Jaci of the
Woodward FFA Chapter in Oklahoma
chose courage by participating in the
Miss Oklahoma pre-teen pageant
despite the possibility of failure. Let’s
ask someone to dance even if we are
unsure if they will accept. Let’s try out for
that team, even if we don’t make it. Let’s
commit to not running from our fears, but
running at our fears…head on! We should
choose to be courageous so that we may
live. Live a life with no regrets, with no “I
wish I would haves” and no should of or
could of’s.
let’s commit to not running
from our fears, but running
at our fears…head on!
We all can do it on our own. We can
each be courageous by ourselves, but do
we have the ability to help someone else
face their fears? What if we helped others
be courageous? What if we encouraged
courage? Once we start walking in
courage, choose to face our fears, we
can pass the torch to the people around
us and unleash this huge amount of
courage in them also, it evolves and
grows. We can be courageous for others.
In the second grade, I was that guy.
You know the kids I’m talking about. The
ones who have the 68 pack of crayons
instead of just a 24 pack. The ones who
over achieve every time and write their
first, middle and last name on every
paper. The ones who are surrounded
by a group of people at all times during
recess. That was me. I was a smooth
talker to my second grade lady friends,
had my teacher, Mrs. Neagle wrapped
around my finger and had one of the
coolest families around. I mean, I really
kinda liked my family. Not bad for a
second grader! Life couldn’t get much
better. In the evenings after school I
would play with these sweet Disney
action figures on our brown short shag
carpet at home. My favorite was Aladdin.
Or Simba. More Aladdin than Simba, but
sometimes more Simba than Aladdin.
They were both good. They’re both
favorites. Yeah… I played with Disney
toys. I’m ok with it. One evening, while
the Genie was fighting off bad guys like
Jafar and Cruella DaVille, my perfect
world was suddenly interrupted by what
would later become my greatest fear.
The story of our lives, right! Just
when we think things are exactly the
way we want them and we are feeling
safe, secure, content and comfortable…
it is interrupted and fear sets in. On
September 20, 1997, I became aware of
my greatest fear.
As an eight year old boy, there is only
one thing that could take my mind off of
those Disney action figures - competition
with my two older sisters, Amy and
Machelle. There were lots of friendly
competitions in our household while
growing up – anything from who got
shotgun, who made the best grades at
school to who got to answer the family
telephone. To me, answering the phone
before anyone else in the house was like
winning a gold medal every time. Every
time it rang, I would race to the phone to
make sure that I grabbed it first. I would
typically answer, “Hello! Pagett Residence
here. Thanks for calling. My parents are
home unless you’re selling something!”
I was the one who answered the phone
that September day.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Mr. Pagett?”
“Yeah!”
“Is this Wade Pagett?”
“Dad!!”
I handed the phone off to my dad and
darted back to the living room, a little
30 Believe Proceedings 2011
disappointed that the call wasn’t for me.
But, before I could even take my seat, my
dad was speeding to the hospital while
Amy and I were left to hold down the
fort.. Later that evening, my grandparents
came over to deliver the news that my
oldest sister, Machelle, who had just
moved to college in August, had passed
away in a severe car accident on her way
home. At eight years old, it is difficult to
comprehend that someone is gone and
that you won’t ever see them again.
Wait! How could this happen? Losing
my sister meant that my family would
fall apart, that things would change and
I would be one of two Pagett children
instead of three and that our house
would be much emptier. I was left without
a Machelle, a sister, a friend. No longer
would I wake up past my bedtime and
sneak in on her and her friends watching
movies in our living room. No longer
would I wake her up early on Christmas
morning. No longer would I utter the
words ‘Chelle and hear a response. That
night, I felt fearful.
I’d cry myself to sleep at night and
insisted on sleeping in the same room
as Amy. But, even with all the hurt I
felt, looking back nearly 15 years later,
I cannot even fathom what my parents
were going through. Here they were,
two proud parents with good jobs, a
good home and three kids, when all of
a sudden, poof, our lives were changed
forever. They worked hard to hold it all
together. Somehow, they must have
dug deep inside and prayed a lot, they
mustered up enough courage to enable
our courage. They would lay awake
with me at night, talk me to sleep, smile
even when it hurt and dragged our
family to church. They even started a
scholarship fund in memory of Machelle
which allowed others the chance to
courageously pursue an education. My
mom and dad were brave for others, for
our family and for me.
Soon enough, like a chain reaction,
their bravery rubbed off on others. It
rubbed off on me. I wanted to be brave
like them so I began opening up to