Last Tuesday afternoon, Charlotte and I attended the funeral of Johnny Stallings. Johnny was the son of Coach Gene and Ruth Ann Stallings. Born with Down Syndrome, he died at the age of forty-six.
One of his sisters is a part of our church. Johnny, along with his parents, visited our church on many occasions throughout the years. I was always amazed at how he could remember the name of our younger daughter though he would see her so infrequently, especially after she went away to college.
Saturday, a good friend gave us an article from the Paris News entitled: "All I really need to know I learned from Johnny Stallings." It is a fine piece written by Greg Thompson, a graduate of Paris (Texas) High School and director of corporate communications for Chick-Fil-A. You can find the article here.
What did the author learn?
1. Every life matters.
2. See the good in everyone. "Be my friend."
3. Walk openly, simply and humbly with God.
4. Love unconditionally.
5. Smile. Laugh. Hug.
6. Treasure every moment.
7. Little victories are the ones that matter the most.
8. Trust God because he really does know best.
Really sorry to hear that. I went to church with the Stallings in St. Louis when he coached the St. Louis Rams. We both ended up in Alabama after that. I didn’t realize he was that old but I guess that makes sense thinking back on it. I really appreciate you blogging about it. They are in my prayers.
Thanks Matt. A wonderful man who touched many during his 46 years.
Thanks for posting the link to that article. Very beautiful!