On May 5th 2003 B.J.'s Dad Bobby gave B.J. a very special gift. He gave him one of his own kidneys in hopes of giving B.J. a better quality of life. For nearly 7 months it did. B.J. got to enjoy a freedom he had never had and he loved it. What a special bond it formed in them. Oh how his Dad loved him and wanted him to live a long wonderful life!
The Gift of Life...
This is where B.J. had his kidney transplant done.
This is the last Mother's Day gift B.J. bought for me. He was in the hospital then just having had his kidney transplant. He wanted me and his little brother Johnathan to go with him to the gift shop and he picked this out for him and Johnathan to give me for Mother's Day. We also went to the cafeteria and had hamburgers and fries for my Mother's Day meal since he couldn't leave to take me somewhere else. To me it was perfect and a special time spent with him that I'll always cherish.
One of the times that B.J. was in the hospital after having his transplant I bought some of the bubbles that don't pop easy to help keep Johnathan entertained. Well, I decided B.J. needed some in his hospital room so I blew lots and lots of them for him. He thought they were pretty cool because when they landed they didn't pop so his room just sparkled with little bubbles everywhere. As it turned out I had to leave for a little while and the doctor showed up to check on B.J. and he got some kind of mad. When I came back B.J. told me and he thought it was funny. I told him I was sorry he had to listen to the doctor gripe over something I had done and he told me it was alright...his doctor needed to just lighten up a little cause those bubbles weren't hurting anyone. B.J. was always a good patient but sometimes that doctor sure tried to rub him the wrong way! LOL
B.J. loved Dr Pepper. That was one of the good things that came from having his transplant. He could drink all the Dr Pepper he wanted and he did! Before his transplant he was limited to a very small amount.
The summer before B.J. went to Heaven he bought his little brother some new clothes. The only problem was, Johnathan was still not even 2 years old and the clothes B.J. bought him were way too big. I told him B.J., he won't grow into them until he's probably 6 years old. He just said that's ok...he can wear them then. Now the summer Johnathan is 6 years old...5 years after B.J. bought them, Johnathan is finally able to wear them! I know B.J. must be smiling. Johnathan is so happy to have something to wear now that his brother bought for him.
One time B.J. went with me (to protect me) 
when I was getting new tires put on my van. When we were coming home we got stopped at the rail road crossing cause a train was coming. It was funny because both of us without the other knowing was going to count the number of boxcars on it. Well it went like this...1 2 and no more! Both of us jerked our heads at each other at the same time and said that only had 2 cars! We thought it was pretty cool because neither one of us knew the other was going to count them and neither of us had ever seen a train with only 2 boxcars. Like the picture, it was an engine pulling an engine. I never saw another one like it either until B.J. had been gone for almost 4 years. When I did, it was when his two younger sister's were going on an out of state youth trip and I was so upset because B.J. wasn't here to go with them. Well, we were getting everyone loaded up to leave and we hear a train blowing it's whistle at the same crossing B.J. and I had been at and low and behold it was just an engine pulling an engine! It was our sign that B.J. was there to go watch over his little sisters! Since then, everytime I hear a train blow it's whistle my heart smiles and I say hi Buddy, I love you.
B.J. loved Lays Brand Potato Chips. But one day he decided he was going to prove them wrong when they say no one can eat just one. He opened that bag and ate just one and would not give in and eat another one out of that bag. He thought he was something else being able to prove them wrong. LOL
Around here a big thing to do is to go toilet papering your friends houses. Needless to say B.J. loved doing it. One of his favorite running buddies was his friend Stephanie. Oh the fun they had together! She told me just recently about what he did to her one time when they were out having their fun. She said while she was still busy toilet papering he went and got in his car and came driving by blaring down on his horn and she got caught! I can just see him doing that to her. LOL
Do boys ever really grow up? Judgeing by our boy the answer is No! One of my favorite memories of B.J. is during the summer before he left. He was lying on the couch and I pitched him a pair of his little brother Johnathan's sun glasses and told him to let me see what he looked like with them on. Kayla was recording him with a movie camera and I guess he didn't want to be seen wearing them or just didn't want to put them on. Anyway, I had a little plastic cookie jar and cookies of Johnathan's and I was throwing them across the room at B.J. and everytime I'd throw a piece I'll tell him to put em on and he would just laugh and ignore me. When I ran out of anything to throw I told him I was giving him to the count of three and then I was going to come tickle him until he wet his pants. He let me go 1 - 2 - 3 and when I got up to get him he jumped up and ran out the door to get away from me. I thought he was gone and about that time he popped his head back in the door and laughed again and ran back outside. Kayla got it all on tape and I'm so glad she did. I love to watch it and hear his laughter.
I'm crazy I know, but I just had to put some of B.J.'s favorite foods here.
After all...it's what my Buddy liked!
Another one of B.J.'s favorites was Pizza. I just bet he never thought his Mom would make him be on one! LOL
B.J. didn't care much for cake so every year he would ask for chocolate pudding pie with cool whip on top in a graham cracker crust for his birthday. On his little brother Johnathan's second birthday which was right before B.J. went to Heaven, he told Johnathan... If you will ask for a chocolate pie on your birthday all the time like I do then we will be gaureented at least 4 pies a year. One for each of our birthdays and one for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So far that's what Johnathan has aked for and I will make a chocolate pie on B.J.'s birthday and for Thankdsgiving and Christmas in his memory for as long as I am able to.
B.J. use to play the song "Melodies from Heaven" by Kirk Franklin and want me (Mama) to do motions to go with it. Over and over he would tell me to do it again cause I wasn't getting it right and over and over I would with him laughing at me the whole time. I knew he was just picking on me but it was so good to hear his laughter.
When B.J. was about 3 years old his Granny took him and some of the other grandkids out and showed them what colici rocks are. She told them that she use to "eat" colici rocks and let them try em out. As bad as that might have been...what was even worse is B.J. would eat all kinds of rocks. By the time we moved back to Goldthwaite when B.J. was 6 years old and I took him to the dentist here the dentist thought B.J. had a problem of grinding his teeth in his sleep. He nearly fell over when I told him no...he eats rocks and it grinds his teeth down! That boy never did completely stop eating rocks. A lot of the time he just sucked on them. The doctor thought it was because his body was craving the minerals in them. Either way, in the 19 1/2 years B.J. was here...he never had a cavity! LOL I think it's because he kept them ground off before they had a chance to form a cavity.
(this is why my email addy is bj_ate_rocks)
B.J. and his younger sister Kayla use to talk about going to Australia together. B.J. would always tease her and say that he was going to make her eat a kangaroo burger when they went. She woud get so upset at him because she loved kangaroos and not because she thought they would taste good! LOL He sure loved picking on his sister. Just an everyday brother!
The summer before B.J. left his little sisters were recording all of us doing the Hokey Pokey. They insisted that B.J. do it too and he didn't want to so he wouldn't cooperate very good with them. Kayla would sing the words and he would just barely move his body parts the way he was suppose to. It was hilarious. When she got to the part to put your head in and put your head out he left his head leaned back and said I can't...it's stuck. Oh that set Kayla off! Then when he was suppose to put his back side in and shake it all about he just barely moved his rear and we all busted laughing. It was just too funny. I have most of it recorded and I love to watch it. I had all of it but I accidentally erased part of it and that makes me sad. But...I still have the funniest part. It was great!
B.J. was always tracing his hand...mostly his left one since he was right handed and then decorating it all kinds of cool ways. He would do other peoples hands as well and none of them were done the same way. Look in the red hand and you can see an upsidedown heart and the word love made into it. These two pictures of my Buddy's hands are my favorite.
B.J. absolutely loved Chocolate Jello Pudding Cups! I bought so many while he was in the hospital all those times in Galveston. Sometimes he would use a spoon to eat them but many many times he would use his finger. LOL
When B.J. would go on the out of town youth trips he always helped our Paster's wife keep up with her keys. The ones to the van and the Motel room as well. The last trip he went on with them in August of 2003 he gave her all kinds of fits. He would hide the keys and pretend he didn't know where they were. He always had so much fun on those trips and they always enjoyed having him with them. Sister Mullins told me that when she gets to Heaven she hopes the first voice she hears is B.J.'s saying "Hey Sister Ima, do you have your keys?"
I also remember how excited he was on that trip because he wasn't on dialysis any more and he was able to pack so lite. As excited as he was about the actual trip I think he was even more excited about that. He was always so thankful even for the little things in life.
On that same youth trip they had gone out to eat at the Rain Forest Cafe. While they were there B.J. told Sister Mullins that another young man that was with them had told him that he thought B.J. was sexy. Well Johnnie hadn't said it and of course he was protesting what B.J. was saying. B.J. was laughing so hard tears were dripping off of his face. The more Johnnie would protest the more B.J. laughed and the more he laughed the more everyone else did. I wish I could have been there but I know how B.J. loved to laugh and loved to make people laugh so I can imagine what it was like.
The last time we had taken B.J. for a doctor's appt. in Galveston we were on our way home and B.J. and his Dad were playing the "windmill game".
That's where they see who can find the most windmills. I hated playing because I could never spot them first. Well they decided they were going to team up "against" me and I was refusing to play. I kept telling them to stop so they would say things like...there's one of those things with blades that turn but I'm not saying what it is. Or...there's one of those things we're "not" looking for and such as that. They were making me crazy! Well I couldn't do too much to Bobby since he was driving but I unbuckled and turned around leaning over the seat and started tickling B.J. He was laughing so much but wouldn't stop. I told him I was going to tickle him till he wet his clothes (he was always very ticklish) so he jumped up and jumped into the back seat so I couldn't reach him. Oh his laughter, I miss it so much!
We have a rule at our house that says curfew is at midnight unless otherwise told and if you aren't home by then you better call with a very good reason or you get locked out for the night and get to sleep in your car...and you better not leave the house! Well one night B.J. was out with his friend Henry and I guess he thought he would see if I meant it. He came dragging home a little after midnight and I was waiting for him. He puts his little key in and turns the lock to come in the house and the door wouldn't open. I was sitting in the floor in front of the door and he couldn't open it! I waited to see what he would do and he just went and sat down in the swing in the yard and did nothing. After a few minutes I went ahead and let him in and he got to listen to me gripe. He never did come home late again. I think he was afraid he would get to sleep outside if he blew it again...and he would have. I figured everyone was entitled to make a mistake once. B.J. was a good boy and a fast learner.
Revenge...how sweet it is! On that same trip to Galveston when B.J. moved to the back seat so I couldn't reach him I got even! I had been on my feet all day and they were hurting so I pulled my shoes off. It didn't take but a minute for B.J. to asked "Who's stinky feet do I smell?" Now normally I wouldn't share this kind of info but like I said Revenge is Sweet and the memory of it is worth the embarrassment of stinky feet.
I said B.J. my feet hurt and he said well they stink so put your shoes back on. I put them back on for just a few minutes then slipped them right back off again. From the back seat came MA PUT YOUR SHOES BACK ON! Did I listen to him? NO I DIDN'T!
When B.J. was a teenager the Youth from our Church would decorate the trees around our Court House with lights for the Christmas Season as a fund raiser for their Youth trips during the month of November. The last year they did it before B.J. left I went down and helped them. Oh it was awful! Birds would roost in those trees so you can just imagine what it was like crawling up in them to hang those lights. Well there's this silly song we use to sing when B.J. was still here about a man singing at an outside Church Revival. While he was singing a bug flew in his mouth and he just gulped it down and kept on singing without ever missing a beat. The main course goes like this...
If eating bugs would save a soul,
I'd eat a bunch now don't you know!
Just to baptize a few in Jesus' name.
Well we were not eating bugs that day...it was the bird poop! LOL So me and B.J. starting singing our own version of the song like this...
If eating bird poop would save a soul,
I'd eat a bunch now don't you know!
Just to baptize a few in Jesus' name.
What fun we had entertaining everyone else while we worked.
B.J. was so silly. He could put a quarter in his nose sideways without any trouble at all and thought it was funny to do it. I use to get onto him all the time and tell him "boy you're gonna stretch your nose out too much one of theses days!" He wasn't too worried about it cause he kept right on doing it. If you asked him how in the world he could get a quarter to fit he would just grin and say well...you start out with a dime, then move up to a penny, then a nickel and then a quarter! It makes me wonder sometimes just how far he would have taken it if he were still here. I probably don't want to know the answer to that one! I can just imagine the entertainment everyone in Heaven is getting from that boy of mine!
I remember how B.J. use to come in the kitchen especially during his last 6 months or so and help me when I was cooking supper. So often he would set the table and make tea and take up ice too. I'd tell him it wasn't his job and to leave it for the girls but he'd just say oh I don't mind helping. I have to wonder why he's the only one of my kids that didn't mind helping. I miss that time together.
I also miss how he always told me thank you after a meal and would tell me how good it was. Such a nice little guy...no matter what it was he would thank me and tell me it was good.
B.J. had more faith in the Lord than anyone I have ever known. He had so many hard knocks that came against him and yet he always trusted in Jesus. He told me one time that if going through all he went through was what it took for him to make it to Heaven then it was all worth it. When my faith would be low he would remind me to use my faith. The times I would try to tell him I had no faith he would say yes you do Mama, you just need to use it. My son made me so proud all the time.
I know if B.J. could tell us anything one of the things he would say is
"Keep your fork the best is yet to come".
Better than any dessert we could enjoy!