Johnny Stallings - THIS IS A LONG ONE BUT WORTH IT

I only met him once but around the A&M church of Christ where the Stallings used to attend Johnny was well know. People talked about his SPIRIT and the blessings he brought to other's lives......The following lines were written by someone else...as you read them think about the value of life and how life cannot be judged based upon "normalcy" and "thornlessness." To some Johnny should have been aborted, left to sit in a room somewhere without purpose or meaning.
Another important note is that God is not bound by things that bind humanity. There is value in every person no matter how "thorny" their life may be. Thorns are not fun but they do prompt growth and trust in God. So, read below and consider how important faith in God is no matter what thorn may come our way...When thorns come our way maybe we should consider what trusting God may accomplish ANYWAY...Foree

Johnny Stallings!!

All I ever really needed to know, I learned from Johnny Stallings.
You can go to the finest schools and get any advanced degree they offer.
Or you can read all of the business and self-improvement books you want.
But for a Ph.D in true wisdom, take a look at the life of Johnny Stallings.

You may have never heard of Johnny. He had Down Syndrome.
When he was born, 46 years ago in Alabama, the doctors said he
wouldn't live even a year or two because of a severe heart defect. Other
well-meaning doctors advised his parents to put him in an institution.

"In a year," they said, "you'll forget you ever had him."But fortunately for all of us, Gene and Ruth Ann Stallingsdidn't take their advice. They chose to treat Johnny as a vital part of
their family. And we are all the better for it.

As his father advanced his football coaching career - first at Alabama,
then to Texas A&M, the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and finally to
a national championship in 1992 at Alabama - Johnny was an integral part
of the team. To Johnny, the most important person was the trainer.Trainers take care of the players," he once said. "You can't win without trainers."

To the day he died, Johnny Stallings wore a massive, diamond-encrusted
National Championship ring on his frail fingers, which were tinged a
grayish blue from the lack of oxygen caused by his heart condition.

Johnny was front and center in that National Championship team photo. In
fact, he was a part of every team his father coached, including the
storied Dallas Cowboys. The players drew inspiration from him. When
Johnny turned 40 years old, for example, his birthday party was attended
by a Who's Who of former NFL stars.

Johnny had some accomplishments of his own. He was featured with his
father on a popular national United Way TV commercial, has a playground
named for him at the RISE center in Tuscaloosa, had the athletic
training facility at Alabama named for him, and won a "Change the World"
award from Abilene Christian University.

But perhaps the most important thing that Johnny Stallings accomplished
is this: he taught us that it doesn't matter what awards you win, or
what worldly accomplishments you achieve, it is how you live your life
that matters most