I was never so proud to be Ericka's husband as I was yesterday.
Let me give you the quick back-story. My wife grew up doing pageants, and not just a few, but scores of them! She competed for 19 years - including two trips to Miss Alabama in 2004 and 2005. Now let me tell you, this is quite an accomplishment in itself, because only 48 girls get to compete each year for the right to be called "Miss Alabama". The experiences and friendships from those two years are a big part of who my wife is today.
So, fast-forward to a couple months ago...
At the time we had some extra money from some side work I had been doing, so Ericka comes to me with an idea. She wanted to create a $1,000 scholarship for a Miss Alabama contestant called the IMPACT Award. It would be given to the young lady who was making the greatest impact in the lives of those around her. I loved the idea and said go for it!
Well, yesterday at the Miss Alabama luncheon Ericka got a chance to share some of her story and then present the award. I felt like her words carried so much weight and influence. You see, Ericka didn't win Miss Alabama, nor did she finish in the Top 10. That will be the case for 38 of the 48 girls in that room. Yet Ericka stood there as an example of life on the other side of Miss Alabama. I was so proud!
I was also proud to see who won the award - Beth Milam. She just got back from a mission trip in Haiti 20 days ago. A fitting winner to an award created by my wife!
Let me give you the quick back-story. My wife grew up doing pageants, and not just a few, but scores of them! She competed for 19 years - including two trips to Miss Alabama in 2004 and 2005. Now let me tell you, this is quite an accomplishment in itself, because only 48 girls get to compete each year for the right to be called "Miss Alabama". The experiences and friendships from those two years are a big part of who my wife is today.
So, fast-forward to a couple months ago...
At the time we had some extra money from some side work I had been doing, so Ericka comes to me with an idea. She wanted to create a $1,000 scholarship for a Miss Alabama contestant called the IMPACT Award. It would be given to the young lady who was making the greatest impact in the lives of those around her. I loved the idea and said go for it!
Well, yesterday at the Miss Alabama luncheon Ericka got a chance to share some of her story and then present the award. I felt like her words carried so much weight and influence. You see, Ericka didn't win Miss Alabama, nor did she finish in the Top 10. That will be the case for 38 of the 48 girls in that room. Yet Ericka stood there as an example of life on the other side of Miss Alabama. I was so proud!
I was also proud to see who won the award - Beth Milam. She just got back from a mission trip in Haiti 20 days ago. A fitting winner to an award created by my wife!
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| Beth Milam - 2012 IMPACT Award winner! |
Far as I'm concerned, the Impact Award and what it represents is a far bigger honor in the grand scheme of things than actually winning the pageant! Congrats to Ms. Milam... and yes Rusty, you have every good reason to be proud of Mrs. Jackson!
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