DEEP WATERS

So... by now we've all seen the video of Ray Rice hitting his wife in an Atlantic City hotel back in February. My initial feelings -- I was offended and shocked. I knew Ray and his wife Janay had a major altercation. I figured he had struck his wife at least once. I knew they'd had a situation on that elevator. When this story first broke months ago, I'd hoped that the reason Ray dragged his wife off the elevator was because she'd had too much to drink. But... the video released yesterday proves Ray guilty. The video proves that Ray and Janay's "situation" was more involved than many of us had hoped. It proves that Ray was abusive. It proves that he used his massive strength - the same strength that helped him run footballs into the end zone - to hurt his then-girlfriend. As I think of this saddening event, I'll share a few thoughts I've got. 1. The NFL finally got it right I refuse to get into a debate over whether the NFL or the R...

I've never claimed to predict the future, but I've got a good feeling about tomorrow. I think my Baltimore Ravens  are going to pull it off tomorrow. And I think Linebacker Ray Lewis  will get MVP of Superbowl XLVII. And even if he doesn't, he's MVP in my book. You know why? Because he's a man of God who loves donning t-shirts  with bible references like Psalm 91. And because of quotes like these: "Listen to what people say you can't do, and then GO DO IT." How many of us have heard people tell us what we can't do? Maybe they think we're too young or too old, or too short or too tall, or we belong to the wrong gender or race. Or maybe we're aspiring to do something we've never done before. Maybe the voices that tell us what we can't do are in our own heads. Sometimes we're actually our own worst critic. Whoever the critic may be, we've got to press on with whatever God's called us to do. We've got t...

Next Sunday, many of us will be glued to our television screens for one spectacular event. Some will watch for the football. Others will remain captive for the hilarious commercials. Others still will hang out for the game just to witness Beyonce's half-time show.  (Bet she won't lip sync  this one...) Anyway, whatever we consider the main event next Sunday, most of us will be watching. As an adoptive mother  and adoption advocate , I'm always looking out for adoption stories  around me. Today, I thought I'd share stories I've discovered in next week's Super Bowl. Of course I must begin with my beloved Ravens... Michael Oher Michael Oher has a story that's been told before. If you've had the opportunity to watch Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side , you've heard Michael's story  already. One of twelve children, Michael grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Due to his father's frequent incarcerations and his mother's...