The Nunns' Story
Character...it's defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual, or in other words, the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves. At some point in life, we're all going to be faced with looking in the mirror and seeing who the person is staring back at us. A person of good character is something that we should all strive to be. That person whose actions line up with their words, that's the simplest and truest test of character. What makes a person of GOOD character is when you throw integrity into the mix. Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Well, if you're looking for two people of good character, look no further than Cody and Kandi Nunn.
At face value, you would think of them as the typical family. But when you get to know them a little bit, you realize that they are anything but typical. Not many people can say that they lost their best friend to suicide...thankfully so. And while it may be a little more prevalent to deal with family dysfunctionality with parents, or even to have dealt with or be in the middle of a battle with addiction...when you combine all three of these aforementioned situations, along with the everyday stresses of marriage, parenting, careers, and more, you get the plot for a pretty dark story.
Back in December of 2022, we posted a pic each day on our socials of a Warrior, and on the pic there was an encouraging statement. Well, on the picture of Cody and Kandi's family was this statement: "Everyone is willing to die for those they love...but what if, instead, we began to live for them."
That quote sums up this family perfectly. When Cody lost his best friend, especially in the way he did, he was rocked to his core. To be honest, that still rocks him today, but out of the ashes of that loss, you can literally see the character being built in him. When learning to be parents and raising their own family exposed areas deep inside that needed healing from things of the past and present with their own parents, you can again see character being built. When a very personal issue with addiction came to light, guess what, character!
What makes their story stand out is the fact that they have not been silent about their struggles. There's some major truth to the fact that when you own your issues, the rumors tend to lose their power. In other words, when you have INTEGRITY, your CHARACTER speaks for you.
Today, both Cody and Kandi are an inspiration to many. In fact, they inspire more than they will ever realize. Simply by their willingness to use their story, their reality, and their experiences, they help other people (some of which they have never even met) look into their own life and find that little spark needed to face another day. For some, they help them look at their current reality and realize that they actually do possess something worth fighting for, something that doesn't deserve throwing away. For some, they have been a source of hope when facing extreme loss. For others, the trauma left in the wake of family issues has been something that they have been able to learn how to handle because of the influence of Cory and Kandi.
When it's all said and done, trauma will not be the winning part of their story. It will not be the thing that took them out, destroyed their marriage, or broke their faith. No, trauma won't win. In the end, the traumatic experiences of their life will be the things that actually are strengthening them into a man and woman of character and integrity. Why? Because in the face of every obstacle, they have found the courage to own the things of life, and rather than fighting against them, they are allowing them to build them...even though the pain and heartache that comes with the trauma is very real.
Together, coupled with their faith, their sphere of support, their love for each other, and their love for others, they are letting their lives be influenced and that is simultaneously influencing the world around them.