Proceedings, 1997

It has been years since my
brothers and I went fishing with my
dad. Time somehow has slipped
away and I can no longer run in to
eat Little Debbies, even though now I
believe I could eat more than four!
PaPa has gone on to be with the Lord
that he taught me to sing about,
granny is now in a nursing home,
and Sundays are tied up with
studying, visiting, practice of some
sorts and catching up on sleep. Even
though I'll never be able to recreate
those memories of fishing and
running out of worms, the lesson I
learned from those experience lives
on in my heart. Even though we
were out of worms, I had been given
one of life's greatest blessings - eating
Little Debbies and talking with my
grandparents and family.
ii The greatest
blessings of life
often come when
unexpected, and
are often the
greatest we've
ever had.))
Two years ago, when I wasn't
elected to national office, the same
thing happened again. Even though
I didn't get the blessing I had prayed
and waited for, I was blessed with an
outpouring of love from my fnends
and family. If 1 had been elected, 1
wouldn't have had the chance to
work with Shane and Daniel at FFA
camp, or serve as a counselor at
church camp, or have learned how
to clog, play the piano at Mr. Keels
retirement dinner, or meet Tina, the
love of my life.
I've learned that the rainbow
comes after the ram. The game
comes after hard days of practice;
and sometimes practice can be more
fun than the game. You can only be
clean if you're willing to take a
shower. Though your car may break
down on the way to the convention
in Vermont, someone else may stop
and pick you up. Although you miss
home, the members at Alumni camp
in Oklahoma can be a lot of fun.
Things may not go according to
schedule, but then all of a sudden
you find yourself up on a mountain
in Alaska with friends from Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Alaska, Nevada
and California. The commute from
Columbia, Mo., to Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, is a long and dreadful one, but
then you find yourself talking to Mr.
Sunny Deke and having a ball.
Maybe your luggage doesn't show up
in New Mexico, but you find
yourself buying new underwear with
people that over just a few days will
become the best friends you could
ask for. Maybe you miss your family
and best friend, but Ms. Story keeps
you laughing with stories of biting
sows. I've learned this year that time
with loved ones should be cherished
and never taken for granted; a lesson
I may not have taken so seriously
had 1 been at home all the time.
The greatest blessings of life often
come when unexpected, and are
often the greatest we've ever had. No,
my name wasn't called that day to be
a national officer, but it was called. I
just had to learn to be quiet long
enough to hear it. I had to learn
again two years ago, just like I had as
a child, that some of life's greatest
blessings come when you're out of
worms.
Every Sunday me and dad went
fishing,
in the late part of the day
We were always after the big one,
but the little ones got in the way.
We would fish until our worms ran out
and the day would soon pass by
Then daddy would take me up to
grandpa's
where I'd get a Little Debbie
Creme Pie.
Life's blessings aren't always
where we expect them to be,
When things don't go so well
that's where you learn so easily.
4-1"
We can miss the beauty of the flowers,
'cause we don't look past the rain,
Remember to look up, keep going my
friend,
even when life is a pain,
We don't always know what's best,
we should live one day at a time. .
Some of life's greatest blessings come
when you're out of ... worms.
The lessons I learned many years ago
are also true today
Sometimes you may not understand,
just let God lead the way
Ifyou find yourself in a jam
sometimes,
wondering what to do
just hold on for a while, my friend,
you'll get a blessing when you make it
through.
I will always remember being a
national officer for many reasons.
The experiences were great and I
learned many things about
geography, money management,
travel, education, agriculture and the
list goes on and on. I think, though,
that I learned the most about people.
I learned that they come in all sizes,
shapes, and colors, and all ask for a
Coke a different way. As time passes
by, I'm sure I'll forget the names of
some of the towns I've been in, or
some of the people I only briefly
met, but I'll always remember this
.
one thing: It's easy to drop your
head when times are tough and it's
O.K. to admit your fears to others,
but with faith and patience, blessings
are just like the people I met. They
come in all shapes and sizes, in all
types of situations, at different times
and in different places.
It's hard for me to believe that
something I learned as a child can be
so useful still today. When you leave
this convention, it will be easy to be
fired up for a while and then to lose
your passion. It would be easy for
you to hang your head low and want
to quit sometimes, but remember
that as you grow and as you learn, to
look for life's little blessings. Know
that some of life's greatest blessings,
come. ..when you're out of worms.
©