Be a Blessing Winner Is ....

Thank-you for making the first annual "Be a Blessing" campaign a huge success. I received eleven heartfelt nominations. Each of the nominees could have very well won and each are well deserving of their nomination. I hope they receive knowing that someone wanted to recognize them and wanted to thank them for all that they do.

Meet Steve and Heather Umberger, pictured below with their five children. Steve and Heather have been such a blessing to my husband and I throughout the years. Steve was Scott's Youth Pastor and through the years they have turned in to such close friends. They are such a blessing to us and I'm sure the same would be said if you asked anyone who knows them. Steve is a pastor in Bluefield, West Virginia and I was so excited that he and Heather were willing to choose this year's "Be a Blessing" receipient.

And now for the real reason you are reading the blog today, the announcement of the winner! Congratulations to Lillie Mae Rutherford who was nominated by Sherry Proffit. Here is Sherry's nomination entry.

 I don't know where to start. I am writing about Lillie Mae Rutherford. She is known as mom to her 4 daughters (including me) and her 1 son. She has 15 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She turned 74-years-old today.

Lillie Mae was born June 25, 1938 in Morgan Co. to William and Reba Goins. She started working when she was a young teenager and only retired last year right before her 73rd birthday. She was married to William Rutherford and they had 5 children together.

By the age of  11 I was the only child left at home. My dad was always very sick and having surgeries. My mom for years was the only working parent. She never had her license so if my dad was too sick to drive her she would have to walk from our home to her job, which was probably 7-8 miles one way. It did not matter what the weather was, if she could not find a way she would walk.

My family has had lots of tragedies and my mom is always the strong one. My sophomore year of high school, in 1989, my sister-in-law was in a car accident in Sugar Grove Valley. She was hit head on by a driver on the wrong side of the road. My 4-month-old niece was killed in that accident. My brother and sister-in-law along with my whole family were devastated, but my mom was the strong one.

In 1992, at the age of 55 my mom took and passed her driving test. She was now able to drive herself to work if my dad was too sick. In November of that year, my dad was admitted to the hospital and passed away 3 days later. Again, my mom was strong for us kids. She continued working to pay bills.

Towards the end of 1995 my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. In 1996 after trying to stay in her home and then moving in with my Aunt and Uncle for awhile, she was placed in a nursing home due to the fact that she was falling and breaking bones. This devastated my mom. She would get up and go to work at 5am and as soon as she got off from work she would drive to the nursing home to help give my grandmother her bath, help feed her and just spend time with her. In Dec. of 1996 she was admitted to the hospital and passed away Dec 21. My mom was lost. Her mom was gone and she did not know what to do. After some time she went back to work.

My mom has 3 brothers and 1 sister who she is close with. Her younger brother who has always lived next to my mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2011. The doctors went in and removed it. Around Thanksgiving he found out it was back. On Dec. 2 he was told it was on the brain, in his lungs, in his shoulder and the lymph nodes. My mom was spending time with him from early morning until late at night. By end of January he started going downhill. I could tell it was taking its toll on my mom. She was not sleeping and hardly eating. By February my uncle was doing a lot of sleeping and when he was awake, he did not know who most people were, but he knew my mom. My mom was getting about 2 hours of sleep per night. She was cooking or going to buy food so that my aunt, cousins, and anyone who came to see my uncle could walk next door to her home to eat. My uncle passed away February 14, 2012 with my mom, my aunt, his 2 daughters, 2 of my sisters and myself there with him at his home. My mom had lost her best friend.

 2 weeks later, my mom got a call from her sister. She was at work and received a phone call that her only son had shot himself and was being flown to U.T. My mom, still trying to catch up on the sleep she had lost due to my uncle got out of bed, got dressed and went to U.T. to be with my aunt and uncle. She spent well over a month there until my cousin passed away. She then went home with her sister to be there to help out anyway she could.

My mom NEVER does anything for herself. She never shops for herself. The only time she gets new clothes is when me and my sisters buy it for her. She takes her money and pays bills and helps out anyone who needs it. When she was working she would have teenage kids come in who were going to school and would not have enough money to buy them breakfast or something to drink and she would tell them to go ahead and get them something and she would pay for it.

She has said for years she would like to have some photos taken so she could give all of her kids one.

Congratulations Lillie Mae! You will receive a $100 gift certificate from Memories & Blessings Photography. Renee will also receive a gift certificate in the amount of $50.

The decision was hard so I allowed Steve and Heather to pick a second place winner. This winner will receive a $50 gift certificate. Congratulations to Bobby Joe and Sonya Headrick. Here's what Krystal Griffis had to say about them.

I would like to nominate a couple in my church and their family.  Bobby Joe and Sonja Headrick.  They a wonderful Christian family and they have been such an inspiration to my husband and I.  They are just great people that seek to serve the Lord in all they do.  They help tremendously with the youth in our church.  She teaches the teenage girls Sunday school class, and they have led the VBS at our church for as long as I can remember.

That being said they don't have a lot of material things, and are struggling in this economy just like the rest of us are.  She is a school bus driver and he can't work because he has very bad eyesight.  But even though they may not have much they are the kind of people that would give you the shirt of their back if they knew you needed it more and it would help you.  They have always been there for my husband and I, and we love them dearly!  They have four children and three grandchildren, and I am sure that they would love to have their family photographed!

 Each nominee will receive a $20 gift certificate and all those that sent in entries will receive a $10 gift certificate. Thank-you all again for willing to be a blessing to others! I look forward to meeting each of you and getting to "Capture God's blessings in your life!"