It is February of 2018 already. Time flies, and I say that with all respect in the world for time, given that four-and-a-half years ago I sat in a room at Duke University Oncology with an IV in my arm delivering toxic chemicals into my system in hopes of beating down the leukemia cells that had taken over 95% of my blood.
Recently I was having breakfast with a friend at my favorite diner. We had a wonderful conversation about our families and how much we enjoy being dads. My friend was sharing how much he appreciated my book, THE QB MENTOR, and he commented on some of the amazing things that my son, Shawn, one of the two main characters in the book, had accomplished on the football field in high school.
I realize not many (if any!) people care about MY golf game, but my point actually isn’t about golf. I have looked at my life using the same lens of no longer wanting to be 'good at doing it wrong.’ Where else can that apply? Fatherhood? Marriage? As a son, or brother, or friend? As a mentor or coach or advisor?
This Mother's Day, as I reflect, I'm thankful for all of the mothers in my life including my mom Dolores, my mother in law Liz, and my wife and mother of my children, Kate. I pray that all of us would take a moment to reflect on the women in our life and how they really have all the qualities that this angel was so curious about.
Individually, I realize that we can’t possibly help ALL of these causes in our lifetime, but I guess my realization is that perhaps we are each touched by some of these challenges in our lives so that we will be drawn into the battle that each one represents. Drawn into action to support families and patients of veterans, teachers or ex-offenders because they need our help.
"In life, there is much more value in the journey, than there is at the destination!" - Coach Wilson
I was stopped in my tracks. I have always understood that intuitively, and even experientially, but I have never heard it put so succinctly. As I reflected on my athletic career and my entire life I found that it rang true for every season.
With THE QB MENTOR out in ebook at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and the paperback available for Christmas delivery via the website www.qbmentorbook.com, I found myself reading through some of the old notes from the classes that Coach Wilson had given to my son Shawn over the past 18 months and something he shared in one class really hit me.
What is on the other side of: opportunity, knowledge, racism, anger, cancer? I didn’t have the answers to these questions I was innocently collecting so I began to pray about them and ask for wisdom and insight. They seemed important enough that I should formulate answers. And over the course of the last few weeks, the Lord has whispered answers to me so gently...
"Do you see that the first roll is the most important one because it sets the entire process?" That seemed pretty deep to me. It was so simple, yet profound. There was no way my mat would roll up as intended if I didn’t get that first roll just right. I wondered how many other things there are in life, that I try to force together and shove into places where they don’t fit, merely because I didn’t take the time and pay attention to the required level of detail, focusing on that proverbial first roll...
