The Voice of Laura Chase

I just got finished reading a life altering article about a woman who was face shot in the face in 2004 by her husband.  She miraculously survived, but she lost her nose and upper jaw and was left nearly blind.  He was only sentenced to 7 years behind bars.

That woman has spent the last 6 years breathing through a tube and going through numerous surgeries…and is now known as the first recipient of a full face transplant.  What an identity huh!

 When I read things like this, several things go through my mind:  How can someone go on living with such a drastic change to their physical appearance.  How do you live with the memory of what happened – what about the nightmares?  How do you forgive the person who did this to you - or is forgiveness something that you have to do every day for the rest of your life – every time you look in the mirror or catch your reflection in a store window?

I marvel at Connie Culp’s courage and strength to appear in public with such an altered appearance;  geesh, sometimes I don’t want to go out because of a bad hair day or because I’m in an ornery mood.   Her story definitely makes me rethink the scriptures about our identity being found in Christ and not in what we look like, what others say about us, or what we do. 

 It doesn’t matter if you lose your physical face like Connie did, or if you lose the “face” or ”identity” of who you are through;  a job loss, a ruined reputation, an empty checkbook, a divorce or death, an empty nest, etc, etc…;  the truth is,  is that we daily have to find our strength, our courage, our confidence, our acceptance and ability to forgive,  in the one person that chose to be mauled and crucified so we could experience these lifetime freedoms.  

Jesus took the scars of sin, so we could walk uprightly.  Jesus took the wounds and pain, so we could walk in healing.  Jesus took every ounce of our shame, so we could hold our heads up high with confidence…a confidence in knowing that we are no longer living under a cloak of rejection, but now have the ability and assurance that we are allowed to walk in the freedom of being loved and accepted for just who we are; nothing more, nothing less. 

Thank you Connie Culp for being one of the many ”faces” of domestic violence,  and thank you for not giving up and choosing to stay hidden away, out of the public eye.   

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to re-evaluate one of the most important things in life;  the freedom of forgiveness  -  I believe it is probably one of the most incredible beauty treatments anyone could ever use.

Warning…don’t withhold sugar  from your kids.  My advice?  Give your kids sugar, lots of it, or they will be permanently addicted to it later!!!  

My mom did not allow me to eat anything containing sugar, and it has affected my diet even at age 40.   Due to some type of fluke concerning a blood test that I had when I was 6, the doctors misdiagnosed me with a near diabetic condition.  My mom, (the most tenacious woman God ever put on this planet), decided it was her lot in life to make sure every granule of sugar was kept from my ever-thirsting, ever-drooling, ever sugar-craving,  lips.   

I only remember turning 7 yrs old because someone gave me a jumbo size Sugar Daddy Candy bar (about the size of your head).   But because of my “you’ll only eat that candy if you pry it from my dead fingers – mother”,  it remained in it’s package, on top of the fridge for months.  DROVE ME NUTS. 

 I also remember climbing on top of our kitchen counter regularly, reaching back into the highest and farthest cupboard, to grab and devour as many sugar cubes that I could, out of mom’s coffee stash.   Not to mention eating several Flintstones kids vitamins daily when mom sent us into brush our teeth; that was until she confiscated them out of my sugar greedy fingers. 

When I left home at 17 and headed to college…this was my chance and opportunity for freedom!  I enjoyed soft-serve vanilla icecream rolled in Lucky Charms and Fruitloops for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Cake, Pies, Candy…mmmmm. I still eat dessert first when we go out to dinner, want to make sure I have room for the best part!     

One last thing, my daughter nailed it on the head last night when we walked out of Publix with 3 boxes of Frootloops;  “Mom, you eat sugar all the time because your mom didn’t let you have it.  You still feel like you won’t get any later, so you have to eat as much as you can now while it’s around!”   Ahhh, smart child! 

I nodded in agreement and then shoved another fistful of Frootloops into my gaping mouth! 

  I am a major fan of redneck humor. Ya see, I grew up in Alaska and survived because of duct tape and baling wire and WD40!  Thanks to my daddy!

Recently a friend of ours was invited into their next door neighbor’s house to see what the old owner did to his livingroom walls. It seems he didn’t want to over exert himself when it came to painting them.  Usually when you paint a room, you move everything away from the walls, like for instance; furniture and bookcases, potted plants, drapes, the litter box, etc…  Not this guy.  Seems he just painted around every bit of it.  If it was against the wall, it stayed against the wall.   When he moved out and took all his belongings with him, he left a nice painted outline of every piece of furniture, stack of books, curtains, etc…that you can imagine.

Ahhh, the life of a redneck, the cheapest and easiest way to live!   Helps save on paint too!

My daughter is exhausted from a slew of weekend activity!

 Friday- her first Prom, Saturday- photographer at Busch Gardens’ concerts, and Sunday-church photographer for Mother’s Day portraits.  

All in all, she took over 550 pictures, and that means she has several hours of editing and posting ahead of her this week.  Ooof!  That’s alot of time editing!

Feeling her exhaustion, I exclaimed, “Look honey!  You have only 2 weeks left  of school and then you can have a break!”   She had a gleam of hope in her eyes of having a break in the madness of activity; that was until I  reminded her that she is on the fast track to graduate.  That means, she can have only 1 or 2 weeks off to rest before she hits her 4 new classes over the summer.   She warily said, “Thanks for reminding me mom.”   I replied, “Sure honey, that’s my job as a mom!” 

Mothers:  they are always inspiring their kids shoot for the stars, but at the same time, trying to keep them grounded in reality!

People always ask me if my daughter is going to stay in the same line of work that I do.  

A parent would like to think so!   However… 

All I have to do is tell them what happened when Hosanna was about 4 years old.  I brought her to work with me and she was really intrigued by all the gadgets and the headphones and microphones!  I thought it’d be fun sit her behind one of the big microphones, put some large headphones on her, and then take her picture for posterity sake.  After I got her ready for the picture, I couldn’t help but begin thinking how proud I was that my daughter wanted to follow in her momma’s footsteps.  My footsteps!  My daughter wanted to be a radio DJ!!!

Those hopes were dashed when she spoke into the microphone for the first time…“Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order?” 

Ahhhh…the dreams we dream for our children!

I have the privilege of documenting and sharing about the trip of a 26 year old Sarasota man who is cycling 1000 miles from Atlanta to Sarasota, from April 15th through May 1st.    JW Frye (I call him Frye on the Fly, or the Sarasota Road Warrior) is the young man that has a huge goal of completing this arduous journey in about 2 weeks - and plans to finish up with a total 7500 miles by biking to Alaska next spring. 

Why would anyone want to pedal their bike 1000 or 7500 miles? 

For JW, this journey really started 4 years ago when his mother, Tara, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  As the eldest son in the family,  he relates that in ancient cultures it was an accepted that the eldest son should shoulder the majority of the weight of taking care of an ailing parent in their final days on the earth.  However, that burden would have been too great for JW, as it is for most that find themselves in these extremely devastating and exhausting circumstances.                   

 JW shares that because of the Suncoast Hospice Foundation, the memories of the final days with his mom are not centered around pain and loss; but of how the earthly angels of Suncoast Hospice were able to be a true blessing to his mom and to his family.  They assisted them in helping and holding, the joys and tears, the laughter and pain and in the passing of her life into the next.

Join me  every weekday morning at 7:20 on Life891.com  for an “on the road update” from JW.   He’ll be sharing how the ride is going, how the muscles are feeling, and if SNICKERS really do satisfy, even when you are biking 1000 miles!  (JW says that peanut butter, bananas and Snickers are the best foods for biking workouts!)  Yay!

Monday morning (April 19) at 7:20am EDT is his first update from the road. 

 I think I need to take a quick ride to the closest convenience store to quiet my cravings! 

What is the ONE thing we dread when taking our driver’s test? 

The top answer in any poll is “Parallel Parking!”

 When I was practicing for my driver’s test, my parents played it safe.  They put me out in the horse pasture with 2 barrels and “Old Blue” our beat up, 1 ton, old, blue utility truck that had no power steering and plenty of dents and rust to give it “character”.   I spent hours in that old truck adding more dents to it’s story than I would care to share!  However, I did get the task of parallel parking down to a science!   And guess what?   Can you believe that when I took the driver’s test the instructor didn’t ask me to parallel park.   It was the ONE thing I was excited to prove, besides my ability to stay between the 2 white lines!

If you have problems or fears concerning parallel parking, OR you have a teen training for their test (like me), this parallel parking formula  (click here) may help!   

If not, I think my dad still has that old truck parked out in the horse pasture, you’ll just need to drive it 6000 miles from Alaska to get it here!

I LOVE EASTER!!!

I love Easter for many reasons;  the celebration of our Lord Jesus being Ressurrected to Life, the dawn of spring and new life upon our barren earth, having more light in the evening so we can play outside longer, and…Easter Candy!  

You see, by this time of year, we are several months removed from the gluttony of the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. By this time, the diet is usually going pretty good (43 lbs lost)…and it’s time to rejoice and enjoy a nice spread of chocolate offerings. 

I enjoy SOLID chocolate bunnies,  bags of Dove Promises with Caramel and of course those cute squishy and sugary yellow and pink Marshmellow Peeps!  mmmmm   

However, will all of the wonderful things about the Easter Season, you may think it strange that one of my very favorite days of the year is actually the Monday after Easter!  Why, you ask??? 

HA!    50% off all Easter Candy!    I”m stocking up till July! 

I just finished recording some voice work for the Ritz Carlton.  MMMmmmm, I LOVE even the THOUGHT of being pampered.   As I was voicing the spots, I was visualizing myself all wrapped up in their overstuffed white duvets covers and robes,  sitting in their uber-comfy and deliciously styled living rooms, and feasting on foods that only their french chefs can pronounce.    Each time I have the luxury of staying at the Ritz,  I get the opportunity to try caviar,  again.  And I am again reminded that I don’t like to eat what I put on the end of my hook when I go fishing. 

Why do rich people like to eat bait?