For my cousin...

In today's world at times it saddens me to see how many famous people have little to no respect for their admirers. On some level, I can understand how they get aggravated by people constantly hounding them for autographs, pictures, etc. But come on, movie stars ought to be able to take five minutes to talk to someone who spends countless dollars buying tickets to see their movies or even buying the DVDs. To some extent that even extends down to the "local" level. You may encounter a news person, a coach from a college team or someone else, who we see often, in a grocery store or shopping mall. I know I'd hate to bother them and ask for a picture or something, but would it really hurt them to do so? I guess it depends...but in all actuality, they could at least nod their head, smile and acknowledge you. I've seen so many people treated so ugly by "celebrities" (local and nationally), I often ponder what I would do if I were in their place.

Thankfully, there are quite a lot of good celebrities out there. Some that will go out of their way to speak to you and do things for you. I've met a few of them during my time here in North Carolina and have been pleased. But on Friday, I met quite a few who just blew me out of the water.

But first, here's a little backstory...

My cousin Jeremy is two months older than me. My Mom and his Dad are brother and sister. So we've always grown up together as playmates or just hanging out at family gatherings. I think as we've grown older, we've grown closer together. One difference between us (aside from the obvious boy/girl), and one difference that has never phased me but maybe has others, is that Jeremy was born with spina bifida and as a result he is paralyzed. But what's so amazing and so inspiring to me about Jeremy is that whatever he sets his mind to do, he will accomplish. He's been in the hospital numerous times and never once have I heard him complain. He is such a positive person who cares so much for many people, especially his love for our military which puts me to shame. He will go out of his way to speak to people and doesn't let his handicap get in his way.

Growing up, in some ways, I always felt kind of bad for him (he may hate me for posting this entry later, ha!). My family was always going on trips here and there, but I never really heard whether he got to go on many. I've been so fortunate lately to be able to do quite a lot of things with him. From going to the Mudcats games, to the State Fair and concerts to a real big adventure this past Friday to ABC 11 to meet Frances Scott.


Frances Scott anchors the 5:00 and 5:30 news on ABC 11, and by my count and many others, she is one of our good local celebrities. Jeremy & Frances have a friendship that started over Facebook, and they had chatted off and on for several years but neither had ever met. I thank Frances so much for taking time out of her busy schedule to talk with my cousin and be a friend to him. I can tell how excited he gets talking to Frances and getting messages from her. So in the long run, Frances invited him up to the studio, and Jeremy asked me if I'd be willing to take him. HECK YEAH!

What many don't know about me is that growing up as a child, I ALWAYS wanted to be a news anchor. Donna Gregory (from WRAL) used to be one of my heroes. She always remembered me each time I went to see her at the Fair. I had many friends in the industry and that was what my mind was set on. As a teen, I was a co-anchor on a Christian show called Teen Scene that aired out of a local station in Apex and that was fun. But what happened after that, I have no idea. So when Jeremy asked if I'd go with him to the studio to see Frances, it was almost like a dream come true for me!

I was nervous because we had to go to Durham, and many of your true North Carolinians would understand why some don't like going to Durham, ha! But all-in-all, it was a great experience. Frances is such an amazing person; she's so beautiful and just has such a caring spirit. She was so enthusiatic about giving us a tour of the facilities and introduced us to so many other wonderful people at ABC 11. All the other anchors/reporters and staff we met, were all so nice and willing to help take care of my cousin and myself.

So in the end, you never know what small things might do for others. As that infamous quote is "to the world, you may be one person; but to one person, you may be the world." We never know what influence we have on the world or on others. So try to be who you are, take time to smell the roses and acknowledge those around you. In the end, you'll be a better person.

(PS: A big thank you to Frances Scott for introducting us to Tisha Powell, Mike Mendez, Chris Hohmann, Fred Shropshire and so many others at ABC 11. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to spend a few hours with us & for giving us a ride back to the car! You're the best!!)