I got into the car and was going to call a friend.. And I couldn't hear the other person. Phail.
Thinking that maybe my phone was having a temperamental moment, I plugged it into my iPod.
Still a no-go.
So.. I made an impromptu stop at the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza to get a new pair. I was ready to buy them, when a handy, dandy, Apple specialist mentioned that they'd be under warranty for a year. My quick thinking calculated that my dead pair is less than a year old.. So voila! Free, new pair!
But, this just went from a purchase.. To the need for a Genius Bar appointment.. And I suddenly had 45 minutes to kill.
Thankfully, one of my favorite places is about 100 feet from the Apple Store.. Borders!
And since I have a car ride up to Big Bear, some free time, and a ride home from Big Bear coming up, I decided that a book or two would be a good purchase!
I wandered all through the store, trying to find the perfect book.
I find myself drawn to the biography section every time I go into Border's or B&N. I love biographies. I think it's so interesting to see the walks that other people go through in their life.
I looked through the Biography and Memoir section a few times, and nothing popped out at me. I went upstairs to look at the Young Adults section (maybe Sarah Dessen has a new book!?!), and was disturbed by the amount of vampire books there are now! Holy crimony!
Anyways, on my walk back downstairs, I realized what book I wanted to buy.
She Said Yes, by Misty Bernall.
This is the second time I'm buying this book. My first copy has been read, written in, loved, and abused so many times that the spine is broken and pages are falling out. It was time for a new one.
What's so special about this book?
It's the story of someone that I want to be like.
Misty Bernall wrote the book in honor of her daughter, Cassie. It's the story of Cassie's life. She was a daddy's girl who grew up in a loving, Christian family. Then, as many people do, she entered her teenage years and got involved in some really bad stuff. She walked away from her faith and met some horrible friends that were horrible influences on her. But her parents never stopped loving her. They made tough decisions to show her some tough love.. And it paid off. She found her way back to Christ, and fell more in love with Him than ever before.
The book isn't just about a good girl gone bad then back to good. Cassie died on April 20, 1999. She was only 17. She died at the Columbine High School shooting.
It's not just the fact that Misty's daughter died at 17 that motivated her to write about Cassie's story. But it was Cassie's final word.
"Yes."
That was the last word she spoke.
And that word was an answer to a question.
"Do you believe in God?"
"Yes."
She answered "yes". She answered "yes" with a gun pointed to her forehead. And she died for it.
I remember reading that for the first time (as a 6th grader) and getting goosebumps. And wondering if I would have the courage and faith to do that if I had to. Correction: if I had the opportunity to do that.
Imagine if her answer had been "no". She still might have died. But man, what a different ending to the story.
Have you ever been asked "how do you want to die?"? I used to always respond "when I'm old, in my sleep". Granted, that would be nice (insert adorable death scene from The Notebook here).. But man, that's the number 2 way I want to die. To die for Christ? To have my final words and breath be proclaiming Christ's love? Holy cow. I'd rather die talking about Christ than dying, silent, in my sleep.
Lord, I pray that my faith is that strong.