Mother and Son

My son Brad is a second-year film student at The University of Kansas, and he truly loves making films. I should have known years ago when he would spend hours making up stories and adventures that he would someday parlay his storytelling talent into creating films. There is no doubt in my mind that he will make his mark in the world by sharing the gift that God has blessed him with.

His most recent project is a video promo for my book that he has posted on YouTube and GodTube. It took some serious persuading from Brad to get me to step out of my comfort zone and into the realm of the World Wide Web. It began in April with a website dedicated to my speaking ministry, something Brad assures me I should have done years ago. Then came joining several online speakers' bureaus, and having my book on Amazon.com. And now, my talented and visionary son has convinced me to allow him to use his talent to create the book video promo and post it for all the world to see. Talk about teaching an old dog new tricks!

To say that I'm proud of Brad would be an understatement, but not because of his vision in the films that he produces. I'm proud of Brad for the man that he is becoming, for the love he gives so freely to me, for his kind and caring heart, and for his selfless generosity to others. I look forward with great anticipation as to how God's plan for Brad's life will play out in the future.

If you're so inclined, you should check out the video. Just go to YouTube.com or GodTube.com, and search for Lord, Help! Here Comes Mom! Trust me on this one ... it's well worth the five minutes it takes to view it.

And Brad ... I have a feeling that your little Granny would be real proud of you, too!

Basketball Madness

My oldest son and his wife attend Kansas State University. My son Brad attends The University of Kansas. For those of you who don’t know, these schools are rivals – big, huge rivals down through their years of existence. For me as a mom, it’s a challenge to know which team to cheer for or which college “Mom” shirt to wear. Unless, of course, one those respective teams makes it into the Final Four of college basketball.

Tonight is the game that has the state of Kansas, and perhaps even the entire nation, talking. KU will play in the NCAA championship game, and at least one of my sons is beyond excited about it. This is Brad’s first year in college, and he is soaking up the entire experience of campus life during such a momentous occasion.

I must confess that I didn’t watch any of the games leading up to KU being in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. I must confess that I rarely watch sports of any kind, save an occasional Kansas City Chiefs game. Granted, I was at every single sporting event that any of my three children participated in (along with countless concerts, plays and musicals), but that is altogether different than watching a group of people I don’t know play a sport I don’t really care about.

To prove how deep doth run a mother’s love, however, I watched the Final Four game last Saturday evening so that when my son called with his excited, out-of-breath question of, “Did you watch, Mom, did you watch?,” my reply could be, “Yes, yes, Brad, I did! And it was a great game!” And I fully intend to be on my couch at 8:00 tonight, remote in hand, popcorn on lap, watching a basketball game that, truthfully, means very little to me.

What means so very much to me is the excitement in my son’s voice as he experiences “school spirit” for the first time on a college level. My son matters to me, and what he loves and what is important to him matters to me. It’s quite simple really … I love Brad, therefore tonight, I love college basketball.

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!