Tammy and Proverbs 31
by Brooke Knetsch

Proverbs 31 teaches us to be women of strength. As we all know, being a strong woman in all circumstances is a challenging feat for even the most strong-willed women.  One of the most debilitating traps for many women today are excuses. We often use them to conceal certain areas of our lives that we would like to hide, avoid, or completely forget about.

For example, it is easier to tell ourselves that we have had a long day at work and are too tired to workout versus actually facing the treadmill.

Today I would like to share with you a true story about a close friend of mine that is a daily testament to what it means to be a woman of strength. Instead of using the devastating tragedies in her life as an excuse to feel sorry for herself she has used the challenges that she has faced as a way to rise above her circumstances and declare victory in the Lord.

My friend married her high school sweetheart, graduated from college and started a family shortly after. She had a career as a librarian and chose to become a professional barrel racer after only 3 years of teaching.

In July of 2002, after 12 years of marriage, she found out that her lifelong love had an affair. Although devastated, she attempted to mend her marriage but was unsuccessful. She was divorced that summer and then in the following December she finished 2nd in the Women’s Professional Barrel Racing Standings winning 6 of 10 rounds at the National Finals Rodeo. She and her son moved on with their lives and never looked back.

As she had been a Daddy’s girl all of her life, her and her son remained close to her family. They lived only minutes away from each other and she and her father would spend time together everyday. In May of 2006, I was riding in the truck with her when she received the phone call that her father had prostate cancer and had only 6 months to live. She stopped driving, broke down for a short while, and then we continued on our way to the next rodeo where she ended up placing second.

Her Dad passed away the following October. The day of the funeral I drove her to a rodeo in Waco where she competed that night and won third. I remember asking her if she really wanted to go and I remember her saying “It is what Dad would want for me to do.  Rodeo is all I know so I have to be strong and do what I know best, just keep going”. That December while she was at the National Finals Rodeo, her dog got ran over and one of her top horses was euthanized due to a severe infection. However, as always, she and her son picked up the pieces and moved on because that is all that she could do. Rodeo was the only thing that kept her going.

In January 2007, she was married to a lifelong friend. Her son walked her down the isle and I will never forget the smile on his face as he watched his Mom smile. To him, nothing meant more than to see his Mom happy and winning at the rodeos. I remember him telling me once that he wanted nothing more than to see his Mom happy and finally she was. He was the light of his Mom’s life and she was the apple of his eye.  He was so proud to call her Mom and took pride in being her son.

Once while we waited for a layover at a rodeo in New Mexico we were supposed to meet her ex-husband to pick up her son.  As the heat drew sweat on our foreheads, she told me that the only thing in life that she is scared of is something happening to her and there being nobody around to take care of her son.

 

In May of 2009, her son graduated high school and made preparations to attend college. He was eager to make his Mom proud.

In June 2009, she was at a rodeo in Nevada driving in the early hours of the morning to make it to the next rodeo. She received the life-changing phone call that brought her to her knees. Her son, had been in a car accident. There were 2 passengers along with the driver that were killed instantly. Her son, Riley Cole Key, was the driver. 

A private flight was chartered to pick her up in Nevada. She flew home, alone. When she arrived she planed his funeral and had the service within two days and she was back on the rodeo trail. For many, this may seem too sudden to deal with such a traumatic circumstance but as you have come to realize, for her, it is a pattern, a way of life, a way of getting back to normal.

In July 2009, only two weeks after losing her son, Tammy Fischer won $100,000 and the biggest title of her rodeo career, The Calgary Stampede Champion Barrel Racer.

In August 2009, Tammy’s horse who she had won over 1 million dollars on broke his ankle. He was sidelined from competition for at least a year.

In January 2010, Tammy and her husband Brian adopted a one month old baby girl, Sydney Rae. I went to visit them over Spring Break and reminisced with her over favorite memories of Riley. The hurt that she carried in her eyes was almost too much for me to bear. She wept as she cried for her son while holding her newborn. She told me that Sydney was the only reason she was able to get out of bed in the mornings.

Before I left I noticed that her entire bathroom mirror had an etched bible verse in the glass. It spoke of trusting in the lord, being a strong, beautiful women, and having hope under the toughest of circumstances. Just keep going I thought to myself, just keep going.

To this day Tammy has won ever major rodeo there is to be won. She has a trophy room lined with saddles, buckles, and awards. However across her house there is an empty bedroom that has not been touched in almost a year. It still smells of a sweaty teenager with muddy boots and cologne. Pictures and clothes are scattered on the floor evidence of a helpless mother literally picking up the pieces of her shattered life. 

Tammy has already trained a new rodeo horse and just last week won first place out of 600 entries. She plans to hit the summer rodeos with full force. She is an inspiration to many and gives all the glory and praise to God.