What I am so grateful today about, in addition to knowing Jesus saved me from my sins and the result of believing in Him and His redeeming me on the Cross in Israel, I am also grateful God made me strong. Now not necessarily strong in physical strength, although, He did that for me as my history of me says that of me, but, a courage and tenacity to more than just hang on, but to move forward. He gave me a will to keep moving, not quitting when others think I should just sit in my room and resign myself to that alone. To me, that is never living, not life. I refuse to allow that of me and tell myself, though I live with an incredible myriad of diseases that attempt their best on me to go down and stay down, I don't do "down" well. I dust the medical issues away and keep at it, keep moving forward. Life is out there to live for however long that is. And, my attitude is, yes, we all will die at some point, but death will have to find me first before I die. I am not for rolling over and quitting, I run the bases until God says it is time to slide into home plate and go home. But, not until then. So, you will still see me running those bases, even when it is abundantly hard to do so, but my Coach and I tell me to choke up on the bat and keep my eye on the ball, and when I get a hit, RUN!!! and don't stop running until the Coach says, SLIDE!! SLIDE INTO HOMEBASE!! And not until then.

Ole John Wayne fan, and lover of baseball, and a Leona Swails who taught me, "No Fair Quitting"

Patty Hayes