Matt Parham @rmparham

Everything that gets your attention doesn’t deserve your energy. Attention is easy to steal. Energy is too valuable to waste. Don’t give temporary distractions permanent power. Starve the distractions. Feed the purpose.

My daughter got detention for defending her late Marine father — but when FOUR MEN IN UNIFORM walked into the school the next day, the entire building went silent. "Mrs. Harrison, you have to understand: Grace’s behavior was completely UNACCEPTABLE. We respect your husband’s service to this country, but..." her teacher said. My 14-year-old daughter sat beside me, her eyes glassy. The day before, one of her classmates had made a joke about Grace not having a father. He was a Marine. Grace was only three when we lost him. So when that girl laughed and said, "Maybe your dad just didn’t want to come back," something inside Grace snapped. She shot to her feet so fast that her chair slammed to the floor. Through tears, she shouted, "My dad was a HERO. Don’t you ever talk about him like that again!" She was the one who got detention. She barely said a word the whole way home. That night, I found her sitting on the floor in my husband’s old sweatshirt. "I’m sorry I got in trouble," she whispered. "I just couldn’t let her say that about him." My heart cracked wide open. The next morning, the school called an emergency assembly. I assumed it had something to do with Spirit Week. A few minutes after the first bell, Grace texted me from the auditorium. Then my phone rang. "Mom..." she whispered, her voice shaky. "You need to come." I stood up so fast I knocked over my coffee. "What happened? Grace, are you okay?" There was a long silence on the other end. "Mom... four men in uniform just walked into the school." "Hide right now. What’s happening? I’m calling the police!" But Grace laughed. "No, Mom, they’re not doing anything bad. You have no idea WHAT JUST HAPPENED! Just get here, please!" she said, before the line went dead. I didn't bother grabbing my purse. I threw my keys into the ignition, my heart hammering against my ribs, and sped to the high school. When I burst through the double doors of the auditorium, I stopped dead in my tracks. The room, packed with over eight hundred teenagers, was completely, eerily silent. Down the center aisle stood four imposing figures in impeccable Marine Corps Dress Blues. The brass buttons caught the overhead lights, and their crisp white covers were tucked sharply under their arms. I recognized the man at the front immediately. It was Staff Sergeant Miller—my late husband’s closest friend and squad leader. I had called him in tears the night before, just needing someone who understood the weight of the disrespect Grace had faced. I hadn't expected him to do *this*. The principal, Mr. Davis, stood awkwardly at the podium, looking completely out of his depth. Staff Sergeant Miller didn't wait for permission to speak. He stepped up to the front, taking the microphone from the stand, and his booming, authoritative voice echoed through the massive room. "We apologize for the interruption, Principal Davis," Miller said, though his tone suggested he wasn't sorry at all. "But we received word that a young lady in this school was being disciplined for defending the honor of a fallen United States Marine." A collective gasp rippled through the student body. The teacher who had given Grace detention slunk back into her seat in the front row, her face turning crimson. Miller’s heavy gaze swept across the bleachers. "Where is Grace Harrison?" Grace stood up slowly from the middle row, still wearing her dad’s oversized sweatshirt. "Come down here, Grace," Miller commanded gently. As she walked down the bleacher steps, the three other Marines broke formation and fell perfectly into step behind her, creating an impromptu honor guard. They escorted her to the center of the floor. Miller turned to face the silent crowd. "Captain Mark Harrison didn't just 'not want to come back.' He gave his life pulling three wounded men out of a burning transport vehicle in the middle of a firefight. I know, because I was one of those men. None of us standing here today would be breathing if it weren't for Grace's father." The silence in the room was absolute. You could have heard a pin drop. A few rows up, the girl who had made the cruel joke the day before was staring at her shoes, visibly crying. Miller turned back to Grace and dropped to one knee, bringing himself to eye level with her. He pulled a small, velvet box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a gleaming Challenge Coin from their old unit. "Grace," he said, his voice thick with emotion but loud enough for the microphone to carry. "Your father was the bravest man I ever knew. You stood your ground yesterday, just like he would have. You protected his honor, and now, his squad is here to protect yours. We have your back. Always." He pressed the heavy metal coin into her palm, stood up, and then all four Marines snapped a crisp, perfectly unified salute to my fourteen-year-old daughter. Tears streamed down Grace's face, but they weren't tears of anger or shame anymore. She stood tall, squared her shoulders, and returned a clumsy but beautiful salute of her own. Suddenly, from the back row of the bleachers, a single student stood up and started clapping. Then another. Within seconds, the entire auditorium erupted into a deafening standing ovation. Even Mr. Davis and the teachers were on their feet. I hurried down the aisle, wiping away my own tears, and wrapped Grace in a massive hug. Staff Sergeant Miller tipped his head to me, a fierce, protective glint in his eye. Before we could leave the building, Principal Davis rushed over to us in the hallway. He looked thoroughly chastised. "Mrs. Harrison, Grace," he stammered, wringing his hands. "I... I want to formally apologize. The detention has been completely wiped from her record. We will be handling the bullying incident with the other student appropriately, and frankly, I think our staff needs a heavy refresher on empathy." Grace squeezed the coin in her hand, looking up at the four men in uniform who had dropped everything to stand by her side. She didn't need to say a word. The message had been delivered loud and clear. Captain Mark Harrison had left a legacy of courage behind, and that day, an entire school learned exactly what it meant to be a hero's daughter.

Thank you. Wonderful organization.

Operation BBQ Relief @OpBBQRelief

5 months ago

Mississippi, we see you, and help is on the way! 🚛 Joe Wilson & our team are rolling in to serve hot BBQ to those hit by Winter Storm Fern. 📍 Stay tuned for meal times & locations. 🍽️ Serving starts TOMORROW. Community is everything. 🤝❤️ #MississippiStrong #OBRCares

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@BlueSkyOxford @OleMissEvie Thx!

@NorthEastPower Thank you and be safe!

We are actively working across our entire service territory. Today, 27 crews are in the field, with additional crews arriving tomorrow and Wednesday. By Wednesday morning, we expect to have approximately 50 crews working toward full restoration. Conditions remain severe, and this is not a simple or quick process. At the height of the storm, approximately 95% of our system was without power. While we are unable to provide specific restoration times, this is an extended restoration event. Progress is being made, and more members will be restored each day. TVA crews are on site working on the West Oxford and Taylor substations. They are making good progress and are optimistic restoration will occur within the next 24 hours, allowing our crews to move into those areas to begin restoration work. The substation serving the university was energized this morning. We anticipate energizing two additional substations today and two more tomorrow. All of the substations that are still down, have crews working. Crews are also currently clearing right of way on the Lafayette Springs circuit and in the Thaxton and Hurricane areas. A construction crew is also working in the Highway 334, Tula, and Paris areas. As right-of-way work progresses, line crews will be able to move in and begin restoring power. We know this is not a specific update for every area we serve, but please know crews are working throughout the entire territory. We sincerely appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support as we work safely and steadily to restore power.

Best city in America!!!! @OleMissFB

City of Oxford @cityofoxford

a year ago

OXMS rn!

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🧢

Thank you @MarcusLuttrell!

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Coach Mike Bianco @CoachMikeBianco

2 years ago

Thanks to The Lone Survivor @MarcusLuttrell for speaking to our team today, but more importantly for your service to our country! Great message today! (Also great movie/book). And thanks to @UMVets for making it happen!

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Never let what you don’t have in life make you take the blessings you do have in your life for granted.

If you missed this, it’s sure worth a watch. ❤️💙

The Rebel Walk @TheRebelWalk

3 years ago

Ole Miss honored The Rogers family as this year’s wish family. They got not one but TWO surprises. Check it out to see! (Video: @DonnaSprabery)

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“That’s the most fun I’ve ever had.” “That’s what I came here for.” -Ole Miss WR Tre Harris

Opening SEC DUB 👏

REFLECTION "My parents were married for 55 years. One morning, my mom was going downstairs to make dad breakfast, she had a heart attack and fell. My father picked her up as best he could and almost dragged her into the truck. At full speed , without respecting traffic lights, he drove her to the hospital. When he arrived, unfortunately she was no longer with us. During the funeral, my father did not speak; his gaze was lost. He hardly cried. That night, his children joined him. In an atmosphere of pain and nostalgia, we remembered beautiful anecdotes and he asked my brother, a theologian, to tell him where Mom would be at that moment. My brother began to talk about life after death, and guesses as to how and where she would be. My father listened carefully. Suddenly he asked us to take him to the cemetery. Dad!" we replied, "it's 11 at night, we can't go to the cemetery right now!" He raised his voice, and with a glazed look he said: "Don't argue with me, please don't argue with the man who just lost his wife of 55 years." There was a moment of respectful silence, we didn't argue anymore. We went to the cemetery, we asked the night watchman for permission. With a flashlight we reached the tomb. My father caressed her, prayed and told his children, who watched the scene moved: "It was 55 years... you know? No one can talk about true love if they have no idea what it's like to share life with a woman." He paused and wiped his face. "She and I, we were together in that crisis. I changed jobs ..." he continued. "We packed up when we sold the house and moved out of town. We shared the joy of seeing our children finish their careers, we mourned the departure of loved ones side by side, we prayed together in the waiting room of some hospitals, we support each other in pain, we hug each Christmas, and we forgive our mistakes... Children, now it's gone, and I'm happy, do you know why? Because she left before me. She didn't have to go through the agony and pain of burying me, of being left alone after my departure. I will be the one to go through that, and I thank God. I love her so much that I wouldn't have liked her to suffer..." When my father finished speaking, my brothers and I had tears streaming down our faces. We hugged him, and he comforted us, "It's okay, we can go home, it's been a good day." That night I understood what true love is; It is far from romanticism, it does not have much to do with eroticism, or with sex, rather it is linked to work, to complement, to care and, above all, to the true love that two really committed people profess ". Peace in your hearts. 📷Unknown

So very grateful for your service and sacrifice. God Bless! 🙏🏼🇺🇸

Woody @woodys3333

3 years ago

Can he get a share

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What a stud. What a family. Congratulations!!!

The Rebel Walk @TheRebelWalk

3 years ago

A visit with Grae’s dad, Kevin Kessinger, about his son being called up to the @astros. ❤️💙

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Astros made a roster move before tonight's game INF Grae Kessinger called up from @SLSpaceCowboys C César Salazar optioned to AAA RHP Luis Garcia transferred to 60-day IL Joins us for Astros & Blue Jays now on AT&T SportsNet @astros #Ready2Reign

I’m beyond thrilled for Grae Kessinger. He’s put together a good MiLB season and the Astros called him up today. The former #RebsBSB shortstop will join Houston in Toronto tomorrow.

Great opening weekend at Swayze!!

What. A. Day! Thank you so much for joining us for breakfast this morning! @RebVoice knocked it out of the park as always, and The Elko’s are amazing! @TimElko @johnelko Great day! #olemissfca @Rebel_Nana @SammieLSmith33 @jaredfarlow2 @gillom_peggie @OleMissFCA @OleMissBSB

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