Man. It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since A.) my son Jason was given new life... and B) my mother was given new life. I have been thinking a lot about the past year over the last few days. Being now 363 days removed from the emotional roller coaster that hit in February of 2009, I can honestly say with great peace and confidence, I know "all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 was a favorite scripture of my mom's, and I now own it too as part of the inheritance she left me.

So this morning, I was up and praying the Lord's prayer. I was praying "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven," and something caught my eye. It was the framed collage of newspaper clippings my dad gave me for Christmas. The collage is a very nicely assembled collection of tributes about my mom that were submitted by the community to the Excelsior Springs newspaper the Standard after she died.

I began reading things like:

"Kim Simmons was one of the first people I met when I came here two years ago. She welcomed me with open arms. She treated me as if I had lived here forever - as if I was a lifelong resident of Excelsior Springs. With her support and friendship, I knew I was moving not just into a job, but into a community." - Vincent Spallo, Head ESHS Soccer Coach

"Kim had a way of always making you feel like you were the best coach for our kids no matter how tough times were. Someone else may take the job of sports writer, but no one will ever replace Kim Simmons." - Terri Irons, Head ESHS Volleyball Coach

"She would do anything for anyone." - Seth Morton, ESHS Class of 2009

"Their whole family makes me want to be better! She was amazing! I wish I could have told her how great she was." - Deanna Baxter, ESHS Class of 2007

"Mrs. Simmons could always make you feel like you were the most special player on the team. No matter what your role, you were a vital part of it all." - Matt St. John, ESHS Class of 2009

"I would describe Kim as being dedicated and hard working. She would never point out the flaws, she always looked for the positive aspects of our games, no matter how bad we played." - Lanie Hurt, ESHS Class of 2011

Of course, my mother worked for the paper that these comments were submitted to. She was the sports reporter for The Standard. As former editor Jim Bouldin put it, "(sports editor) is one of The Standard's closest and most powerful links to the community at large, and certainly one of the most demanding reader audiences on the planet."

ESHS Athletic Director Jesse Hall touched on this reality by saying in a different article, "Kim had one of those jobs that sometimes drew some heat from proud parents if they felt their child did not get proper accolades on one of her columns. After a phone call or letter like this, Kim would give me a call or stop by. I was amazed that she would never have a bad thing to say about the note or caller. I asked her if this ever bothered her, and she stated 'No, I am glad we live in a community where parents care about their kids.'"

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

When the Kingdom of God comes into the earth through the life of one of it's ambassadors, the STANDARD is raised to a level where any job on the planet can be used as a sphere of influence to authentically and deliberately love God and other people. Just think, if we can do this, WE can be an answer to the Lord's prayer! And to re-emphasize what Matt St. John said (quoted above)...

"No matter what your role, you ARE a vital part of it all."

Amen.