Courtney Dellafiora » xocourtney.com

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THE MAKING OF A BRAVE MAN – my birthday wish

Very honest, raw post.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you may remember when I told you about my friends Bobby and Lindsay Earle back in 2014. Bobby has Crohn’s disease and Lindsay has an incurable, disabling neurological disease that has left her almost lifeless. She has extremely painful migraines almost 24/7 that leave her paralyzed from pain. She has had this for four straight years now.

I shared their story with you, created a gofundme account and asked you to consider donating to help them with medical bills, groceries, life etc. You blew my mind with your generosity, and together with each of your donations, $50,000 was raised in two days. This money not only helped them tremendously financially, but it gave them hope.

And you inspired the hell out of me.

Thank you a million times over from the bottom of my heart to each of you who helped. I know that the Earles are eternally grateful.

They are truly two of the kindest, sweetest people on the planet. They have never once asked anyone for help. Bobby does everything he can in his power to take care of Lindsay and their son Clive. But because he suffers from his own disease, this is extremely limited. That along with having to monitor and help Lindsay constantly, making an income is nearly impossible. According to their close friend Josh, their money has completely run out.

They are suffering.

Emotionally and mentally. But mostly physically and financially.

While most of us are able to live our normal, day to day lives.. Bobby is carrying Lindsay to the restroom, showering her, feeding her…. he is trying to keep himself as healthy as possible… all while attempting to give their son somewhat of a normal childhood.

Bobby put together this video of Lindsay and Clive that will give you a little insight of their heartbreaking life:   http://bobbyearle.pass.us/makingofabraveman/
(Clive loves to take photos, just like his daddy. :)

It’s so hard to understand how such lovely people could have been dealt such bad cards in life. Their situation literally breaks my heart into pieces. Every time I think about them, I ball my eyes out. It’s just so unfair. This precious family needs a miracle. And they need your help again.

My birthday is tomorrow. And my only wish is that you would consider donating to a new fund that their friend Josh has set up for them. Even if you only have a few dollars to spare, EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR counts. And if you can’t spare anything, then please at least share this post. And if you can’t share the post, then please pray for them. Lindsay and Bobby need healing. And they need your heart pouring out to the heavens on their behalf.

Donate here:  https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/80tBrmADC9
or: send them a Trader Joe’s gift card –  PM Josh Newton on Facebook for their address

I wanted to share some photos of them at the bottom of this post. You can see a glimpse of the devastation and pain of their current life. As well as what life looked like before these awful diseases took over and turned their life into a day to day nightmare.

I also wanted to share Josh’s post with you:

This post is meant for those closest to me. I’m sorry for the heaviness and bluntness of this post, but it’s reality. This year for Christmas is different – my family is having our get together in January, so I decided I wanted to spend the last three days with Bobby Earle, Lindsay Earle, and Clive Earle. The tree above is the one that 7 year old Clive setup. They didn’t have any money for presents this year so he set up the small Christmas tree, wrapped his dad’s favorite book, wrapped his mom’s favorite game, and a basketball for himself – and he was as happy as any kid I’ve seen Christmas morning.

For those of you who don’t know, Bobby got an extreme case of Crohn’s disease about 5 years ago and four years ago Lindsay got status migrainosus – and the pain from her migraines has left her disabled for four straight years. With Bobby not being able to keep any weight (he’s down to 130 lbs), he’s had to be the sole caretaker for Lindsay and Clive the entire time. Carrying her to the restroom, helping her regulate meds, somehow making food for them… All while trying to cope with the grief and loss their whole family is feeling. Lindsay’s pain affects Clive in a very visceral and difficult way… He is always worried about her and never stops thinking about her. If you ever see her smiling or conscious, it’s because she’s had to heavily medicate for that. It’s taken a big toll on her and it only lasts a few hours a day.

About a month ago they completely ran out of money. Almost all of their friends either don’t believe them or just have forgotten about them. They are so overwhelmed with their pain and grief that reaching out has become next to impossible… And they are both depressed and lonely. You guys, I’m not sure what to do but I have to do something. As a Christian, as a man, as a friend. I’ve cried more in the last three days than I have all year – I’m completely heartbroken for them.

I have to be honest, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than here with them this Christmas season. What they have taught me about life, love, sacrifice, grief, loss, and bravery are gifts I will take with me the rest of my life. Life is truly beautiful with them and they are my heroes. I know many people are experiencing hardships and I’m thankful I get to share with them in theirs. It’s an honor and they will always be my best friends.

I had the amazing opportunity to return to Iceland this past September. It was just as magical as the first time. Except the Northern Lights came out to play several times on this trip and I literally cannot describe in words how stunning it truly is. Words and photos could never ever truly do it justice. GAH. God’s beauty is amazing!

Video coming soon.

To see photos from my last trip CLICK HERE.

To see the video from my last trip CLICK HERE.

Hi world. :)

I am steadily blown away by God’s love. It truly never ceases to amaze me. It makes every single day beautiful. It inspires my core. It gives me so much hope for the future. I am constantly left speechless by his overwhelming grace and favor upon my life. I am truly NOTHING without him. I could go on and on and on.

Since I last shared, some incredible, inspiring things have happened in my life. Some I will share about now and some will stay close to my heart until it is the right time to divulge. But all of it has brought so much inspiration back to my soul and mind. I am beaming with happiness and excitement.

In January, I decided to pack up my life and move across country from the east coast of Florida to the west coast of California. I drove by myself across our beautiful country in a moving truck and didn’t look back. Even went right through Baton Rouge and didn’t stop. It took me four days to get here but I made it. I now reside in sunny Los Angeles and I couldn’t be happier about it. This place is full of so much creativity and open minded souls. Sure, it certainly has its downfalls (as does any place) but I am excited to be here for a season in my life. I already know that because of future possibilities I won’t live here forever.  But it’s perfect for now. I plan on enjoying every moment of it during my time here and soaking up everything it has to offer. And it has a lot to offer. It is such a great place for an artist. So much beauty everywhere. So much inspiration.

I found an adorable place right in the heart of Hollywood and I bought a Vespa to get around this traffic filled place. I left my car in Florida and it was truly one of the best decisions I have ever made. LA is one of those places that if you don’t plan your life situation just right, you’ll be unhappy. I knew I had to live in the area I wanted to be in and I knew I couldn’t bring my car. I was NOT going to deal with the cluster of cars that are in this city. Not to mention there is never anywhere to park. So because I have a Vespa, I literally never have to deal with any of that nonsense. I scoot scoot myself in and out of traffic and I park it literally anywhere I want. It’s AMAZING. Not to mention because of the weather here, is the perfect place to own one. Sunny and beautiful 99% of the time. I actually prefer to ride a motorcycle or scooter anyway. There is something incredible about having the wind in your hair and the sun on your face. Ahhhhh, I am so happy when I am riding that thing.

When I got here a few months ago, I immediately helped a friend open his salon in West Hollywood. I was working 24/7 on that beauty, but I enjoyed the challenges it brought. I truly do enjoy ‘business’ and pushing that side of my brain. So it was a fun project to work on and also was a great way to meet new people and start new friendships. I am still running things there but now that it is “set up” so to speak, I have more free time to work on my own thing again.

I have decided that I want to do photography again for a little while. You guys were so right, I couldn’t stay away from it!! It’s part of me. It’s in my DNA. I have always seen life through a colorful lens and I want to express myself artistically with it. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely needed that break I took. I was burnt out. I was living in a fog. It’s like now my eyes have finally cleared and I am ready again. Deeply inspired, passionate. Thrilled at the ideas coming into my head. Bought a camera and lens (arrives tomorrow!) and I can’t wait to show you guys what I have planned. Can’t wait to push myself artistically and do it in a new place. In a new environment with fresh inspiration.

I decided that since I am in a new place, it was time for a spanking new brand as well. Thus came my new little photography venture, Whisper Riot. I will be specializing in fashion photography as well as couples. I love my couples!! Because, well… I am truly a romantic at heart. Hmmm, I am pretty sure you guys have figured that out by now! Ha!

So basically no more weddings and no more studio for boudoir. However, if you’re in LA, and want some sweet new photos, holler at me! I will be releasing the website this month sometime.

I don’t know how long I will be doing this. But for now, it’s perfect for this time in my life. And I am excited to show you some more prettiness that comes out of my mind, heart and soul. I hope you’ll be inspired.

The future is SO BRIGHT. I look forward to taking you with me on this journey of my life. Thanks for listening.

And again, a million times over… thank you to each and every single one of you who always shower me with your support and kindness. You’ll truly never know how much it feeds my soul and pushes me to be better. I love you all.

More soon. ;)

Thank you God for this beautiful life and every breath you give me.

xo,
Courtney

PS. Follow Whisper Riot on Instagram: @whisperriot  – Email me: courtney@whisperriot.com

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There are no words in our language that could possibly allow me to express how this makes me feel. These beautiful words are truly one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given. I am so honored, humbled, and literally speechless. My heart is beaming with gratitude to my friend for this beautiful write-up about me.

Thank you Lawrence for your friendship.

 

THESE PEOPLE ARE MY FRIENDS AND I CARE ABOUT THEM!
#mimickingmichaelscott

by Lawrence Burges

Ep 1:” Courtney Dellafiora

I have lived almost 34 years on this amazing earth suspended in a unknown and vast cosmos. In this short time, I’ve met so many people that have had different impacts on my life. Some bad, most, soooo very good.

“he who wants friends, should show themselves friendly”
I met Courtney Dellafiora at a homeschool convention in April 1996 in Baker, LA. We were both 13 years old. She was a beautiful person and full of so much life, happiness, and excitement. We were both homeschooled students. It always stuck out to me that she came up to me first and introduced herself to me. Such quality. Me. A 13 year old black boy in traditional, homeschooling, conservative, 1990s, South Louisiana (don’t act like “it” doesn’t exist).
Yes! Homeschooled. But in the 1990s, that was not AT ALL cool. And “NO,” we did not do our schoolwork in our pajamas.
We were both social butterflies, whom God wisely gave to 2 sets of brave parents who decided to homeschool us instead of sending us to public or private school. As much as I (or maybe we) hated this decision, somehow God gave this wisdom to our parents knowing that we would have plenty of time to be social, and that our formative years needed to be spent focusing on learning and building our character for the journey God was getting ready to walk with us on.

I can remember weeks after meeting Courtney, I received a letter in the mail from her. “Who is Courtney Sehon and why is she writing you a letter?” my “interested” mother asked (just kidding mom). I was thrilled to receive it. It was pretty much small talk from, “How is weather in Baker?” (we were only 40 some ought miles away from each other), to “What are you studying?” To me, it was such a cool thing to have a pen pal and a new friend.

Time went on and we really didn’t see or communicate with each other very often. Homeschooling seemed like a black hole of existence back then. There was so many government agencies trying to take away the legal right using any means. Which is why, as I mentioned before, our parents and so many others like them, were so brave for standing in this right. Not for the sake of being right, but for the sake of a better education and future for their children. After all, isn’t everything about the future? About our children? I was so happy that as I neared graduation, more and more social and athletic opportunities came about.

5 or 6 years later, at an unfortunate event, a funeral for a mutual, young, homeschooled friend, God brought Courtney back into my life. I was in school at Baton Rouge Community College and working at Sunshine Christian Armory. We reconnected again. I was so happy to see my long lost pen pal and friend. 5 or 6 years to a teen seems like an eternity.

It was during these years that I really got to know Courtney. She even called me one day and asked “if I knew how to drive a standard transmission car.” I said yes, and she showed up after work “bucking” in a new standard transmission car she had just bought, but didn’t really know how to drive. I don’t even know how she made it to my job from the dealership without knowing how to drive a standard. But If you know Courtney, you know this girl is fearless and stubborn. She probably got lucky and rolled in neutral down a hill the whole way to my job. (I know. There are no hills in BTR) In that huge and empty parking lot off Florida Blvd. She learned to drive a stick as well as me in only 30 minutes. I was pretty proud!
For the next years, occasional texting (that was super new and expensive back then), phone calls and occasional meets with her and her boyfriend kept us in peripheral vision of each other. I was in college at Southern University, and then music school at LSU, while in a relationship also. We supported each other. We valued each other. What others looked at and thought nothing of, or thought too much of, we looked at and saw how invaluable our friendship was. We came from simple, loving, American families, in humble beginnings.

I love friendships that are low maintenance. What I mean by this is, “out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t exist in these friendships. That friend is always in your minds eye. Always in your thoughts, always in your prayers. Those are the relationships that are the most valuable to me. Relationships that when God brings you both to different shores with oceans of time, experiences, and physical distance between you, you are constantly staying connected through prayer, memories, common ground, and thoughts. And when God brings you back across that ocean into each others lives again, you immediately can pick up where you last left off, but this time with so much more added stories to share with each other. I am so blessed to have a select few of these strong relationships in my life. I know who these relationships are. I value them. I cherish them. I will fight for them. I will give my life for these amazing people. At times in my life, when girlfriends have asked me in their insecurity to “make a choice” the choice has always been an easy one. I choose Courtney and my select friends like her. I’ve learned to recognize the people in my life that are passing though, when to let them go, and the people who are here to stay as part of the structure, the fabric of who I am. You want to know who I am? Look at these selected few friends.

Courtney is my friend for over 20 years. She is my longest running friendship and one of the few people who truly understands what it was like being homeschooled when it was not popular. She understands the challenge of transitioning from a homeschooled education into RESPONSIBLE adulthood. Not even our parents understand or know what this experience feels like. When you are testing your wings for the first time……at age 18, when most other students test their wings everyday in school. This doesn’t make you weaker. quite the contrary. It makes you stronger. Much stronger. Your wings are stronger. You can fly higher, faster, and longer. You’ve had more time and less distractions while developing. Our parents hoped, worked, sacrificed, and prayed for this. Courtney understands that. She is my only friend who understands this. This makes her very, very, very, VERY, valuable to me.

Courtney has laughed with me, and at me. She has supported my dreams. Given me wise advice that most people pay therapists, strategists, and analysts thousands of dollars for (don’t send me a invoice Courtney). She has helped me. Been there for me in my worst moments. She is one of those friends like Job had in the Bible. You know, the ones that just sat with him IN HIS MISERY. Their presence was a present (#getwellsoonkanye). She has comforted me in my worst moments, and rejoiced with me in my victories. She is the “older” sister I’ve never had (only by 4 months, 13 days). I thank God everyday for Mr. and Mrs. Sehon, for creating Courtney and every other person in her family tree for making the decision that brought this amazing human into this world.

As I stated above, we support each other. I signed her marriage license and stood in support and witness of it. She supported and documented my engagement and marriage capturing amazing photographs like we all know only she can do. Courtney is a generous giver of her time, talent, and treasure. She is a giver, not a taker. She is such a real person. Not a faker. I’m so glad that I’m a strong and secure enough person to be friends with Courtney. In over 20 years of knowing her, I’ve learned and seen that people who are weak and insecure with themselves cannot function around the power and grace that God has given Courtney. People either must “grow a set” and deal with their own weaknesses and insecurities to become the better for it, or walk away and bitterly continue being weak and insecure while blaming her for their failure. Now if you are strong and secure enough to friends with her. Get ready for personal improvement on another level!

Courtney inspires me with her luster for life. Her wanderlust for this amazing earth that God has given us is palpating. You cant help but want to increase your life, when you are in this woman’s presence. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” prov27:17nlt

Courtney believes in me. Even when I don’t believe in myself. She is a leader. In every sense of the word. She is fearless, fierce, highly intelligent, more than capable, lover of the souls of people, responsible and brave. She’s tough, yet gracious, thankful,… I could literally go on and on and on. In a era, where femininity is under attack, she is a woman that is powerful….and precious.

provoke each other to good works

I’ve watched the evil one, Satan, in the last decade throw a blitzkrieg of destruction over her personal life that most of you know nothing about. I’ve seen her dig in, ALONE, like a highly trained navy seal on a compromised mission, and hold the line that God gave her to hold, WITH NO REINFORCEMENTS,…… FOR YEARS. She dug in “tight as a tick” in her foxhole, and withstood the enemy onslaught in her personal life. She held back the enemy, who tried to destroy her body, her mind, her soul, and her spirit. Just like Job. What a testament to who she is. Just like in the Bible, I believe Courtney is one of the watchmen.(ezekial 3:17, isiah 62:6 isiah 52:8 ez33:6) a strongman. For If the enemy can defeat people like Courtney, we are all proper fucked. (unfriend me now if you plan to complain, cause in fact if you do, I will unfriend you) “in fact, no one can enter a strongmans house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the whole house.” mark3:27

When Courtney told me she was going to Iceland, I was thrilled that she would travel the world again. She has a spirit that needs to be free, again. Free too wander with awestruck purpose the earth that God placed us on and use her enchanting vision, the way she sees and records life, to share these experiences with us and invite us along for the adventure of it all. There are people and places that need Courtney and people like Courtney. We can’t keep her all to ourselves in a photography business or some enclosed space for our benefit when we seek it. People like Courtney, belong to the world. To all of us. There are people in the remote corners of the earth that need to know people like Courtney. To give us all hope….
When she asked me to compose music for her amazing Iceland video footage, I was excited, but not nearly as excited when I finished the work and knew it was the best I’ve ever done for one of my best friends. The piece is entitled “Endhana” which is an abbreviation for “Restore Her” in the Icelandic language. I pray God restores Courtney to 100% and more. Courtney, As you prepare for this next chapter, the adventure of the next 33 years and more, I pray Joel 2:25-27 for you.
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.The crawling locust,
The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God
And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”

Why is Courtney so amazing? Why is Lawrence, a married man talking this way about his “friend”, a woman that is not his wife? Is there some scandal afoot? (Yes. Some of your stupid thoughts are really that loud) Lol. No. I’ve known Jesus since I was 9 years old. I chose him on on my own. Not because my parents chose Him. I chose Him. I’ve learned after 24 years of walking with Christ and over 20 years in worship ministry to listen to the Holy Spirit. Ive learned that we know nothing in comparison to all that God knows and plans for all of us and yet each of us. I make mistakes, I’ve probably made more than a few in this post, but I’ve learned to be true to myself. As the great William Shakesphere says, “to thine own self be true.” I know that Courtney walks with Christ and loves God with all her heart, mind and soul. In the way God has instructed and coded her, she shares Jesus with everyone she meets. She effects and affects us all. We are all changed when we are with her, whether it be a smile across our face or an angry thought because she stood her ground and remained true to herself and her standard of work. When we see the pictures of us she captures, it alerts us or reminds us, how beautiful or handsome, powerful or precious we are in the sight of God. If lifts us up and moves us on toward the day when we all see Jesus.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother (or sister) is born for adversity.”

Thank you Courtney.

YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I CARE ABOUT YOU!
#ilovemichaelscott

to princess Vanellope von Schweetz from stinkbrain,
Lawrence

s e a r c h