My first commercial

It started out as half-brained idea from my boss, Billy Liggett. But in the end, I think it came out beautifully. Look for this commercial on a public access channel near you soon!

Not really. Sorry, Conan.

I’m going bald…

for charity. As I stated on The Rant last month, I will donate my beautiful locks of hair to charity on July 11. Help me out by donating to this worthy cause or coming by to watch me cry.

To donate, click here

Where trouble melts like lemondrops…

It still isn’t fair.

This weekend has been one of the most bizarre and sad ones I’ve ever been through. If you’ll scroll down to my last post, you’ll know that my cousin, Kimberly, died on Tuesday after a car wreck while on her way to her capping ceremony for high school graduation. Just 18. Beautiful. Happy. It just wasn’t fair. It still isn’t.

On Friday, our family all gathered in Eden to pay our last respects. To say it was a sad day is an understatement. As I admitted earlier, I lost touch with Kimberly for a long time. After thinking about her all weekend, I can see I am going to regret that — much the same way I regret not making my grandpa teach me how to make pottery or saying thank you to my grandma for those countless pieces of barbecued chicken and chocolate gravy.

Kimberly’s life was obviously felt all over Eden, a town a little smaller than Sanford. The church was filled on Friday, as was a spillover room where the service was broadcast via closed-circuit TV. All her female classmates wore high heels to the service in her honor. Her mother, Robin, and father, Ricky, stayed strong throughout the day and showed a resolve I know I could never muster. There were even a few laughs along the way as people shared their favorite memories of her life.

The service was beautiful. Kimberly was in the choir at school, and the ensemble opened the service beautifully with “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” after which there was not a dry eye in the room. A perfect tribute.

Then at the graveside service, the most amazing thing happened. The preacher asked everyone to bow their heads for the final prayer of the day, and as I looked down, just before I shut my eyes, something caught my eye. It was a four-leaf clover. And it was the only clover in my immediate area, like it had been put there specifically for me to find.

It was eerie and comforting at the same time. I picked it, and after the service I took it up and placed it next to Kimberly (she had been cremated). My uncle told me later that they put it in the ground with her. I’m not really sure what finding it meant. Maybe Kimberly is looking out for us now?

So as a last tribute to Kim, here is my favorite version of that song. I love you Kim, and I wish I had been there for more of your life.

Isn’t she lovely?

My mother’s family are all very close to one another, and when tragedy strikes, it grips us all. And nothing could be more tragic than what happened over the past two days.

But let me back up a second. My cousin, Kimberly, was born on Christmas Day, 1990, to my uncle Ricky, who is the youngest of my mom’s eight siblings. My grandparents had nine kids, so inevitably that means a lot of grandchildren. Of about 30 grandkids, Kim was the second-to-last (only her brother, Jake, is younger. I was fourth to youngest) And as the younger kids are, usually, we were the favorites. I like to think, at least.

I can remember well when Kimberly was born. She was the first baby I ever held. We all used to go to the beach together on the Fourth of July, and I always remember everyone being very protective over her, because not long after she was born she had an intestinal problem that nearly took her life. Because she came so close to death, and because she was about the cutest little girl of all time, she held a special place in everyone’s hearts.

But she lived in Eden, N.C., north of Greensboro near Reidsville, so I didn’t really get to see her that much, especially in the last 5-10 years. She was always frozen in time in my mind as that little toddler.

The last time I saw Kim was at Christmas two years ago, and she was all grown up. It was great. Then a few months ago I got a friend request on Facebook from the incredibly beautiful girl, and was shocked when I read the name ‘Kim Shea Norris.’ Seriously, she could have been a model or an actress.

She had turned into a beautiful young woman that seemed ready to tackle the world after graduating from high school this month. But it was not meant to be. Kim and her brother were driving home from school Monday when she wrecked and was thrown from her car. She died early this morning. Her brother survived.

I honestly do not really understand why bad things happen to such good people. And it seems tragedies like this always happen right around this time of the year, around graduation. In 1999, just a few months before my graduation, two girls from my class (Hannah Seawell and Ashley LeGrande) died in a car wreck. A few years later two more died. Just recently a young girl in Pinehurst died.

Maybe our young people drive more in the summer months? Maybe the have more time on their hands? I don’t know, but it just doesn’t seem fair right now.

So be careful with your kids this summer. Hug ‘em and tell them you love them. Because you never know.