Maybe telling this story will embarrass Sam, but I’m going to go ahead and tell it anyway. I’ll never forget the day I sat behind Sam and his mom at church. In between the two of them sat Sam’s cute girlfriend, and she was leaning her head on his shoulder. Sam looked over to his mom, flashed her a smile, and then reached over and held her hand behind the pew. It did my mama heart good, to see a “grown” boy holding his mom’s hand, while his girlfriend sat next to him. I was so touched, I had to take a picture. I showed it to his mom afterwards and she said, “Sam and I have a very special relationship.” Then with a laugh she added, “He drives me nuts, and he knows it, but I sure do love him.”

I hope that, rather than embarrassing Sam with that story, it shows you the kind of young man he is. He’s kind and thoughtful, but more than that, he’s unafraid of showing he’s kind and thoughtful. Not only is Sam a great guy, he’s uber talented and has been in high school plays. Sam is graduating this year and in the fall will be attending college at Southern Utah University. He says he wants to follow in his mom’s footsteps and study education, teaching high school math. I say any school is lucky to have him as a student OR a teacher! Best of luck Sam. Thanks for hanging out with me in Ellicott City one warm night not too long ago.