The stock boy and the cashier

This true story was making the rounds during the Super Bowl.
Twenty-two year old Kurtis was working as a stock boy in a supermarket in the upper midwest. He thought the new cashier was a beautiful girl, although a little older.
After finding out her name and that she walked home from work, he asked Brenda if he could take her home the next day. He looked harmless, so she accepted.
When he dropped her off, he asked if he could see her again away from work. She told him that wasn't possible and when he pressed, she went on to tell him that she had two children and couldn't afford a babysitter.
Kurtis agreed to pay for a babysitter so Brenda reluctantly accepted his offer. When he arrived to pick her up, she told him the sitter had cancelled, to which he replied "Let's take the children with us." She told him that wasn't an option but he insisted and so she brought him inside to see for himself.
After meeting Brenda's young daughter, Kurtis met her son, who was confined to a wheelchair. He was a paraplegic with Down Syndrome. This was more than enough to send most men on their way.
Brenda was amazed when Kurtis asked why the children couldn't come along. She realized her new friend was different than the rest, so they loaded up the children and went to the movies.
He helped with the children's every need and before the evening was over, she realized that she would like to spend the rest of her life with this man.
The two were married a year later and Kurtis adopted both of Brenda's children. Since that time, they have added children of their own.
So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the cashier?
Well, they reside in Phoenix, Ariz., as Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Warner. He is the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, who barely lost the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
After being the quarterback at Northern Iowa University and giving up his supermarket job, Kurt failed in a trial with the Green Bay Packers in 1994. He had two great years in the Arena Football League before signing with the St. Louis Rams.
He was sent to NFL Europe, where he played with the Amsterdam Admirals. He led the league in touchdowns and passing yards. His backup was current Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.
You're probably familiar with the rest of the story. After joining the Rams in 1998 as a backup quarterback, Kurt took over the starting job in 1999 and led the team to a Super Bowl victory. He had one of the best seasons in NFL history, as he threw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns, which earned him MVP honors for both the league and the Super Bowl.
Warner was with the Rams for several more years but was hampered with injuries. He was a backup for the New York Giants in 2005 and joined the Cardinals the next season.
He was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year at the Super Bowl during pre-game festivities for his charitable contributions and community involvement off of the field. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Kurt helped raise $650,000 for flood victims last year. He also gave a personal gift of $100,000 and his foundation gave another $100,000. Since creating the First Things First Foundation in 2001, Warner has made more than $1.5 million in donations to worthy causes. He, along with his wife, have a strong Christian witness and he carries his Bible with him about everywhere he goes.
Sam Rudicill
One of the area's biggest basketball fans is experiencing some serious health issues. Sam Rudicill, who you'd see a few rows behind the Freedom High bench at the Patriots games, has been confined to the IC unit at Grace Hospital.
Sam has also been a Duke fan for 40 years and has attended some of their games at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
He's in our prayers.

Roy Waters is a sports columnist for The News Herald. Waters was baseball and basketball coach at Salem High School from 1955-1966, where his teams won 18 championships. In 2007, he was inducted into the Burke County Sports Hall of Fame.