Madison Sanders Writes

My brother and I don't eat a lot of candy but when we do, look out. A bag of unopened warheads were just calling our names as it laid on Granny's table. "Let's have a competition," Eli said. I nervously glanced at the back of the bag. The sour meter was staring me in the face. Never one to shy away from a challenge, we headed straight for the little blue package. I tore into it slowly. As I raised the candy to my mouth, I knew I was in for some serious sour candy. As if it wasn't enough to eat the candy, Eli had another idea. "Let's see who can keep it in their mouth the longest!" he said as a smirk crept into the corners of his mouth. I think my feelings were made known as I groaned in disgust at his brilliant crazy plan. 1...2...3 seconds ticked by for what seemed like an eternity. Both of our faces were contorted in all sorts of ways. I was secretly glad I wasn't the only one struggling. After 5 or 6 seconds, I gladly admitted my defeat.

There’s no such thing as perfect people There’s no such as the perfect life So come as you are Broken and scarred Lift up your hands…be amazed, be changed by a perfect God -Lyrics to Perfect People by Natalie Grant We’re all flawed in some way. I thought it would be therapeutic to make an "I am Not"… list I am not brief I am not sloppy I am not a size 0 I am not always right I am not a blonde I am not a fabulous cook I am not society’s definition of normal I am not a conformer I am not hard to please I guess you think I’ ve gone crazy with a list like this, huh? Nope, hang with me. I am….a part of God’s family I am….loved I am…beautiful I am….detailed I am…creative I am…outspoken at times I am…someone who likes to be busy I am…compassionate I am…content I am…an observer I am…. a rule follower I am…a daughter I am…a friend I am….a listener I am…a learner I am me. I may not always have the “perfect hair”. Who cares? The media feeds us their definition of perfect anyway. I don’

We were at Panama City Beach. The breeze was gently blowing through the palms as we sat down at Pineapple Willy's. Me, Memaw, and Granddaddy quickly settled on the ribs. Beth and Mikayla were still mulling over that mouthwatering menu. Never one to stray from her favorites, Beth ordered the chicken fingers. "I want the peanut butter and jelly sandwich" said Mikayla. "Out of all the things on that menu, you order that?" Granddaddy said with a smirk on his face. "But it's the crustables kind, Granddaddy" Mikayla reasoned. Just as she had made up her mind, Mikayla spotted something she just had to have. "I want that drink in the cool looking glass!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Mikayla, that is an alcoholic drink." Memaw whispered. Her young mind didn't see anything wrong with that. She poked that bottom lip out in disgust. She wanted that strawberry drink! Memaw asked the waiter if the alcohol could be taken out much to

I was serenaded yesterday by an unlikely source. A bird had perched itself in the tree outside my window. I cupped my ear to ensure that I heard it clearly. Something was a little odd, but I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. "This bird is singing all alone!" I said to myself. Normally, birds join in with one another creating a beautiful melody. A female and male bird can coexist seamlessly. But, today that wasn't the case. I wondered if the bird poked his chest out a little further, feeling great because he made a beautiful sound by himself? As beautiful as the bird sounded, it was a one-dimensional sound. There were no moments that stood out to me. Sometimes, we are like that bird. We think we are just fine being a loner. "I'm going to do things my way!" we declare to anyone who will listen. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be like that bird. I want my life to be multi-dimensional . Our lives are enriched when we have others around

I'm sure I piqued your interest with my last post because cerebral palsy isn't often talked about from a point of view like mine. Sadly, most children with CP (this is the abbreviation for cerebral palsy) can't talk and are totally dependent on their parents. Blonde Duck asked a question that I thought would be best shared with everyone. "Do people ever try to help you too much, like just totally go overboard and treat you like a baby?" For the most part, no. My Mama has raised me to be independent. If I can do it myself, I will. Sometimes I have to remind people of that. :) For the past few years, things have changed a little bit. Since the infection(aka mystery diagnosis by the doctors) happened soon after my spinal fusion, I didn't get my mobility back right away like I should have because I was bedridden unexpectedly. My mom has to help me put my pants and shoes on...for now. I'm constantly working to regain the motion of bending in my back. I can bend

Since this blog is also about my life as a disabled person, I thought I would clear up some common things people seem to think about people who aren't "normal". If you've been a reader for awhile, you already know my thoughts on that. We have feelings. Mean comments add nothing of value to the world, so why spew hatred? Sometimes I think the people that are mean are doing it to feel in control of at least one area in their lives. I was always taught to treat others like I want to be treated, but that seems to be a lost art these days. We have goals. I'm not going to let life pass me by. I just have to do things a little bit differently. Whether you realize it or not, we all have a 'disability'. For example, your bad attitude can hinder things just as much as a limp can. We are not stupid. Most of us can hear everything you're saying. I do not appreciate someone judging me before they get to know me. Don't try to make things harder for

I skipped over to the merry-go-round at the park. The other kids became tiny blurs as I whirled around and around. Suddenly, the dirt underneath my feet looked like a faraway land with rocks and pebbles. I held on tight as Mama leaned into to push us. Caught up in a daydream of a land filled with beautiful flowers and flowing dresses, my hand slipped from the rusty railing. Bam! My body dropped onto the wood underneath me with a resounding thud. Unable to stop the merry go round without throwing everyone off, Mama waited until the merry go round slowed to a stop. My leg was dangling on the side as I tried to heave my body closer to the center. What happened next was a true act of teamwork. All I could see was a mash of hands reaching for me. Black hands and white hands were encircling me until it was safe to get off. This reminded me of the body of Christ. We come from all different backgrounds: rich, poor, Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American. What you may not realize is we all h

Sorry about the spacing! Edit: Somehow this post went from published to draft without me telling it to. Pardon the computer issues. Visions of an unkempt yard brimming with thorny purple wildflowers invaded my thoughts as sleep tried to come. My mind revolved the image over and over again as I drifted on the brink of sleep. Understanding began to come, as I realized our souls are like that unkempt yard, filled with thorny “weeds" that keep us from God’s best for our lives. Those weeds are the pain of rejection, anger towards someone, or pride. You know the thoughts that you would never dare breathe aloud to another soul? Yeah, those are weeds too. Those weeds and thorns become rooted deeper as we are filled with pain and resentment. The longer we let those weeds and thorns take root in our souls, the harder it is to get rid of them. There is hope though. God’s grace is more than enough to root the thorny mess out of our lives! We try to hide those weeds, but after a while i

A pendulum swings left to right. The distinctive ticking noise fills the air. Behind each swing is a noticeable push. Each time back and forth propels the next. Every failure, trial, and hard place propels us forward. If something goes wrong with the pendulum, it doesn't stop. It keeps doing its job. Too often, humans stop right before a breakthrough. They sulk about the weight they haven't lost or they whine if they haven't lost enough. You could insert anything into that sentence. The point is we've all been guilty of this. When we gain momentum, let's hang on to it! I've found if you can keep a steady rhythm in most things, you can get back on track when a few bumps get in your way. In the grand scheme of things, it's all about keeping things in perspective. Imagine a runner. He's made it halfway through the race, but his legs are killing him. After he refuels with water and a snack, he sets his sights on the finish line. He got his mind off the

*This is the first of my Memories Rewind: Summer Edition. Stay tuned for more laughs and mischief! Granny had just come in from the garden. Her arms were loaded with golden ears of corn. I could hardly contain my excitement when thinking about all of that corn. " C'mon , M. I need some help with this corn." I grabbed a chair from the house and made Granny wince as I drug it over the concrete. Granny couldn't have my brother just standing around, so he got a basket, too. One by one, we peeled back the layers. Then, we had to brush the corn to get rid of the silk that finds its way in between the kernels. Before long, I found my eyelids drooping. Maintaining a garden was hard work! I stole a glance at Granny. Her shorts were dusty, but her hands were busy. How often do we abandon the harvest because it seems like too much work for very little reward? Feeling the cool breeze of the fan, I was re energized . I went to pull out another ear, but my hand was touching the bot

If we’re not careful, F@cebook can give us a false sense of reality. In other words, you might mistake real relationships for the occasional status update and reconnection. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you are friends with 220 people just because F@cebook says you are. Friendships take lots of work and commitment from both parties. I understand the concept behind reconnect with a friend”, but if F@cebook has to remind you to reconnect with somebody, you were not close to begin with. As I've said before, communication is an ongoing thing. I've noticed one problem that has hid in the shadows among other problems; we have lost our voice. People are too afraid of what others think if they tell them the truth. We have to love that other person enough to tell them the truth. Another thing that's important is we have to learn when to step back and be quiet. That's right. There are times that we need to hold our tongue. Words can be used to build up or tear down, s