I Honestly Thought I Was Ready For Yesterday’s Radiothon

I cried a lot yesterday morning on the show, on and off the air; before, during and long after the mics were shut off. I was exhausted and it was only hour number two. Our friends at St. Jude tried to warn me. They said I should pace myself; that doing upwards of 13 hours on the air during the WGNA St. Jude Radiothon would be emotionally and physically draining.  What they didn't tell me was how to pace myself.

How do you prepare yourself for the St. Jude story songs from artists like Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Cole Swindell with lyrics that cut through your soul like a knife mixed with stories from parents who lost a child in the most devastating way possible.  How do you prevent yourself from becoming a puddle when every single little boy or girl with cancer in those stories becomes your child with cancer in your own head?

As long as children continue to die in the dawn of their life, they'll always be a story song, or worse, a personal experience that will shatter us.  I was a mess on Thursday morning, you were a mess, we ALL were a mess.

So, how could I possibly pace myself?  Not sure anyone knows the answer to that, not even the amazing folks at St. Jude.

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Every Partner in Hope will also receive "THIS SHIRT SAVES LIVES" t-shirt that you can wear alongside dozens of country artists to show your support for St. Jude Children's Hospital. You'll also get a ticket to the 2nd Annual Heartstrings for Hope concert at Upstate Concert Hall starring Luke Combs.