10/17/2020
Well, I just got back from walking our dog Baxter and was overcome with gratitude for many reasons but in particular because today is the official virtual commencement of GCU where I’m receiving my Masters of Science in Professional Counseling and graduating with a 4.0 GPA. The accomplishment is an incredible one for me personally for sure, but it is not really why I wanted to write this message of overwhelming appreciation to everyone who has helped me get to this point of my life. Thank you in advance for reading this if you choose too, but it’s going to be a little wordy and include a lot of people, so for that I apologize... First off, I should start with my biggest fan and half the reason I made it into this incredible world, my mama Hedy, who many of you never got to meet but have undoubtedly heard me speak about. Secondly, the other half of how I got here, my incredible daddy Michael, Sr., or Catfish, as many of you know him as. My little brother, Alben, and baby sister, Clansey, who have both seen me at my worst and my best and never stopped loving me and encouraging me to do better. My sister-in-law Emily, my wonderful nieces Aubrey Claire and Allie, and my never boring nephew Penn all make me smile on a daily basis. My cousin Lolo and her counsel and direction in some very dark days early in my recovery is truly inspiring. Emma was there for my whole life until she passed just recently and even fighting off cancer until mama’s birthday on August 13th to celebrate in heaven together once again. Steve the dog was one of the few bright spots in my daily life when addiction was consuming my thoughts and activities. I would like to personally thank the following people who all helped me get to where I am today: Kingfish, NeeNee, PopPop, NeeNaw, Uncle Bob, Aunt Lisa, Chad, Uncle Stephen, Aunt Jennifer, Caitlyn, Lance, Carly, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Crystal, Allyn, Alex, Richard, Uncle David, Aunt Teresa, Little David, Duvall, Ruth Ellen Duvall Kuhnel, Aunt Sara Flautt Wilson, Uncle Geoff, George, Anne-Conner, Robert, Uncle Billy, Braxton, Will, Katie, Uncle Edwin, Emily, Brooks, Uncle Richard, Mr. David, Mrs. Barbara, John, Kim, Casey, Brian, Whitney, John, Clif
