Monthly Archives: May 2015

Ernie Johnson – My Story

Leave a reply

Jeff here…

As many of you know, growing up I was a huge Atlanta Braves fan (and still am). The voices of three Braves announcers – Ernie Johnson, Sr., Skip Carey and Pete Van Wieren – provided part of the soundtrack of my life growing up. They returned every summer and settled into our house like regular members of the family, calling Braves games, whether it was on the radio or on “SuperStation WTBS”.

Even though I haven’t been a fan of the NBA since I was a kid, I’ve been aware of Johnson’s son, Ernie Johnson, Jr., and his success hosting the NBA on TNT studio show with the likes of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. The few times I saw the show I could definitely see the appeal and why it is so popular.

Only recently have I found out what kind of man Ernie Johnson, Jr. is when he is not on camera. In May he won a Sports Emmy for best studio host. He promptly presented it to the daughters of the late Stuart Scott, who died after a long battle with cancer early this year, saying “this (award), there’s only one place it belongs, and it’s on the mantle at Stuart Scott’s house.”

But prior to that, the ESPN news magazine show E:60 had profiled Ernie Johnson and his family. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but do yourself a favor and carve out 20 minutes of your day and watch it.

One of the primary messages we want to convey through this blog is that every life matters, and every life deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. That message comes through loud and clear through Ernie Johnson, his son, and his entire family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNHkWVystEE

#tbt – Wife, Mom

Leave a reply

h

(This is Jeff, and I’m hijacking this blog for a moment. Not that you wouldn’t have been able to tell that pretty quickly…)

The picture of Hillary above might be my favorite photo of her ever. It’s the moment she first saw Lacey. Sounds strange, since she’s in scrubs, hooked up to an IV, has a cannula in her nose and is pretty doped up. But it’s her face, and the look in her eyes. I’ve seen that look a lot over the 26 (!) years we’ve known each other, but I think this the is one of the few times I’ve ever caught it on camera.

She has the deepest of love in her eyes for her new daughter, and the most gentle touch as she’s reaching out to touch her for the first time. It just gets me. This is the Hillary I know.

Tomorrow is her birthday, Sunday is Mother’s Day, and on May 20 we celebrate our 20th (!) anniversary. She’s not going to like it, but I just wanted to take a brief moment to publicly celebrate my wife. (You know what they say about asking for forgiveness instead of permission.)

Hillary has been through a lot. She has lived through the sudden passing of her mother. The “long goodbye” and passing of her dad from Alzheimer’s Disease. The  birth of a son with an unexpected and rare genetic disorder. And thirteen years later the birth of a beautiful little girl with the same.

Ordinary people have been broken by much less than this. I’ve seen her pain, but she has never been broken. She is a fierce fighter, because she knows that Bennett and Lacey, and I, need her. She has supernatural and unconditional love for us. And she has extraordinary compassion and love for practically everyone she comes into contact with.

I hope you’ll say a prayer that she can find the time and energy to write on this blog, because her story is incredible and deserves to be told. Of course, she’ll tell you it’s our story, or the story of God’s path for her and us.

But that’s merely semantics. I’m just thankful to be part of the same story as Hillary.