Johnny's Thoughts

This has been a really good weekend. Johnny talked to many old friends from the past as well as his good friends today. He felt good Saturday. We have had a wonderful peace about it all this weekend. He had a hearty appetite and so far has had no side effects of nausea. Last night the three of us sat together and talked about our journey through this healing experience and things we wanted to say on the blog. We listened to his favorite songs. Here is Johnny's own thoughts and feelings as told to us during our conversations. He wanted to let everyone know how his faith is sustaining him through all this:

"Even though I have a bad diagnosis, I still give thanks to the Lord for His blessings everyday. No matter how bad it gets everyday, it is important for every human being to thank the Lord for your blessings. I was baptized and raised in the oldest Baptist church in Florida in my hometown of Campbellton, Florida. I was in church every Sunday morning and evening and on Wednesdays in "training union." My Mother Bernice Skipper and Grandmother Lillian Norsworthy made sure of that, and it was the greatest gift they ever gave me.

There is a sign in Jackson county I always used to pass on my travels back and forth, after I left home and ventured out into the world. It read "Jesus loves you anyway." Through my ups and downs and detours in life that sign always reminded of the way back home to my family and to the Lord.

I thank Him for being here.
I thank Him for being his child.

My message to each of you is, no matter how rough it is, you were brought into this world as the Lord's child. You are blessed with life and you are blessed with a chance to love the Lord. It doesn't matter how you bad a day you may have had, you can still love the Lord. Nobody can take that away from you. You don't even have to say it aloud, you can just close your eyes and say it in your heart.

The chance is there each day. On the good days, you REALLY can bless the Lord and on the bad days, it doesn't matter how bad it is, as long as we remember the Lord is there always.

When it's time to go, then you go with a good spirit. When you do have to face the Lord hopefully you are 51% on the good side! I've done some things I wished I hadn't but I've always recognized goodness too. I've learned that good always triumphs over evil. It's important to do the right thing.

I just want to give people an attitude of not quitting. I've been knocked down many times, but I get back up. People that lay down and "waller in their squaller" never get anywhere. It seems that's when all the bad things come in. If you keep on doing what you're doing you keep on getting what you're getting.

People that don't have as much to live for don't fight as much to live. So grab life and find something to live for! Look around you! We need to look at the full glass of water. Maybe sometimes need to read something to remind us of the truth's in life and the bible is the best instruction book in the world. We read and know things as we go through life but you can't remember everything. Sometimes something reminds you of the wisdom you knew 10 years ago, and all of a sudden you'll hear it again and you are back in the groove. The truth will always set you free.

I have been feeling more emotional lately and I don't know if its because of the terminal prognosis because I know we are all going to go one day. I don't know if it was the stress of not knowing what was wrong with me. As long as I know my enemy I do well and can fight it... but I didn't know what my enemy was.... and now that I know what my enemy is, the release of the emotionalism is coming out, which is natural to cleanse your mind. I am realizing that when you are showing your emotions and crying, it is building your strength back up.

The stress release then gives me the strength to get mad at that scourge of the earth called cancer that takes so many people. I know lucifer is out there smiling thinking he's got me for a while, but I can't wait to pop him good and tell him I got him back one more time, so hold off your victory party! So things like that give me strength to fight and stick around longer than predicted and love my family and make up now where we are, for mistakes I wish I could undo or rectify. But I have learned that if you learn the lessons there are no failures.


I encourage you to just let everyone know that a victory over cancer is a victory against the devil and tell anybody out there that has cancer or has a relative with cancer, to make sure they fight hard and not give the devil another victory. The devil can kiss my grits. Get mad dog mean, like Josey Wales said in the movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales."

I don't want this blog to be a selfish thing for me, I want this to be something that as people read this, that it can help them and give them strength knowing that you are going to have ups and downs, and how to handle the ups and downs, to help them not give up. The reason of the blog is not to get sympathy, but to share and uplift. I am appreciative but I also want to give back in return. I want to help the people that write in with their prayers, to not give up. I believe the Lord, when he's scanning the blog, will look down at all of us right here and it will make him proud.


When you give you receive and what goes around always comes back around in God's circle of life.

Today the three of us listened to Martina McBride sing the song "Anyway." It talks about walking through your fears and building, dreaming, believing and loving no matter what. Do it anyway. I wish you each the same. Remember, every moment counts."