the blythewood leader (803) 786-1758

•Island
From Page 3
tell you that you are not
alone. There is hope.
Join yourself to a group
of people with a common
purpose. Or join a small
group for some good,
clean fun. I am about to
join a bowling league
with my dad and sister.
Just get out there and do
it.
For some, you may
find your sense of worth
by partnering with a local
church body. For others,
the answer may be found
in small group functions
such as alcoholics
anonymous or bingo.
Whatever the group,
just remember that no
man is an island. We are
all a part of a fallen and
scarred humanity. But
we find strength through
our common frailties
and hope through our
willingness to face and
overcome the world.
Email comments or
feedback to cbanks@
theblythewoodleader.
com.
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What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
Sometimes life is about risks.
in some of the toughest situations in
Sometimes you just have to put
thirty years or more. Every generation
yourself out there and hope for the
is struggling right now. Security is
best.
scarce. My advice is to take note of
The past five years of my life
what you know. Look and your past
presented lessons that steadied me for
and see how you survived those tough
“real life.” Attending a small college
times and lived up until now. We as
in the mountains of Johnson City
a people need to start taking our own
Tennessee had the potential of placing
personal risks again.
me in an invisible bubble that could
I took my own personal risk a month
shut me out of the real world. Luckily
before I finished my undergraduate
for me, there was no bubble. Towards
career. Everyone around me knew I
the close of a promising freshman Peter Harris was going to law school. With my
season of collegiate tennis, a pain Columnist brother succeeding as an attorney in
that I verbalized as minimal ended up
Atlanta, and the fact that I told my
changing the rest of my life. The pain defeated those around me I was planning on attending law
my stubbornness and during a change-over in the school, it was not unfair of my peers to suspect
middle of a match, I “waddled” off the court as such a future. It was time for another risk. I
best I could. Little did I know, it would be two instead decided to come to Columbia and start my
seasons before I would compete again. Long career with the hopes of working full time with
story short, I was diagnosed with degenerative plans to achieve my MBA. I am living in the midst
disk disease and my lowest disk was fused shortly of my risk.
after the semester ended. I could not walk for a What’s the worst that could happen? We
month and I could not even think about stepping fail. Failures are not an end. Failures teach us
on court.
lessons and give us guidance. My surgery and
The bubble never had a chance of forming. Two my teammate’s death are not what I consider
semesters later, grasping the only aspects of the failures; yet, in order to graduate without missing
team’s practice I could, I saw a teammate die right a semester and in order to play again my senior
next to me while running warm-up laps – dead year, I had to deal with consistent and frustrating
before he even hit the ground due to a massive failure. While advancing my career and deciding
heart attack.
which MBA route is best, from experience, I know
Through it all my life mentality changed forever. I might fail; however, giving up and giving in are
I had to motivate myself in new ways. I had to take not options for me anymore. I believe C.S. Lewis
risks that I never thought I would before. While I said it best, “failures are finger posts on the road
once lived a life of laid out plans, I started to live a to achievement.” Think about it. What’s the worst
life one day at a time. I took risks saying “what’s that could happen?
the worst that could happen?” My generation is Email responses or feedback at cephas04@
starting the rest of their lives, life after school, gmail.com
•Love
From Page 1
“It’s hard sometimes,”
Mary said. “They become
part of our family, and it
is easy to get attached to
them. I guess that is why
we have adopted six of
our foster children. We
wanted them to have a
good home, and to extend
our love to them.”
Being a foster parent
requires you to be
licensed every two years.
“You have to have twenty
eight hours of training
within that two years,”
Carl said. “But you can
receive training all over
the state through different
organizations, including
foster parent association
meetings, churches and
schools. You are also
allowed eight hours of
training online.”
Kelsey and Mackenzie
are the only two of the
Brown’s nine children
still at home. “We get
attached to these children
as well,” said Kelsey,
the Brown’s fifteen year
old daughter. “We have
a three year old with us
now, and I have already
taken to her as a sister. I
just want these children
to have a nice home.”
Mackenzie, twelve
years old, also feels the
same way. “I have seen
what it is like to be a
foster parent, and I know
that my parents really
care about children,” he
said.
Being a foster parent
doesn’t mean you have to
be married. Many single
people have become
foster parents.
“I personally encourage
people to become foster
parents,” said Mary. “I
like to see others open
their home and hearts
to the many children
who are neglected or
abused.”
Although parting with
these children is very
difficult, Carl said that
it is still worth the time
spent with these children.
“It’s very rewarding to
have met the needs of
these children when they
were in time of need. One
of the sayings for foster
parents is ‘What Matters:
One hundred years from
now, it will not matter
what kind of car I drove,
what kind of house I
lived in, how much I had
in my bank account nor
what my clothes looked
like. But the world may
be a little better because
I was important in the
life of a child.’ That is
what we are trying to
do. If we can make the
difference in a child’s
life by offering them a
loving home, then we
have accomplished our
goal.”
If you would be
interested in becoming a
foster parent and offering
children a stable, secure
home, please call the
Brown’s at 1-800-475-
7650.
Page 18 • January 29, 2009 • the blythewood leader