Well here I am, attempting to begin blogging again, hint the 2.0. A couple of years ago, I tried to extend my Northwestern News column into the blogosphere, but that really didn’t work out so well. However, now I’m in the process of creating a website that is dedicated to the comprehensive coverage of small college athletics across the state of Oklahoma, so I thought I would pick this blogging thing up again.
As I have slowly chewed on what I would talk about first, a process that has taken several weeks, I thought I would touch on something personal. For those who are close to me, they know I have had some changes recently in the professional realm. Even though I have hidden it well among the masses, this has been a change that at times has been hard to take. I’ve gone through some short periods of depression, not sleeping, etc. But this isn’t about me, as I was touched last night (July 14) while watching ESPN’s award show, the ESPYS.
If you haven’t heard the story of Iowa high school football coach Ed Thomas and his family, you really should. In a nutshell, two summers ago, the long time coach of Aplington-Parkersburg High School was tragically murdered by a former player in the makeshift weight room at the school. Coach Thomas was a man who had been a staple to a community that lived football. Find the full story, and the Thomas family acceptance speech for the Arthur Ashe Award, here.
Even though this is a horrible story, it’s what happens following the murder that is so touching. Coach Thomas was a deeply religious man, and a family who had the same values as he did. Instead of being mad and bitter towards the family of the man who committed the crime, the dad was a former player and both of his sons played for coach Thomas, the Thomas’ showed grace to them, just hours after the tragedy. All throughout the aftermath, the Thomas family remained positive, even encouraging other members of the community of about 2,000 people to also be there for the members of the other family.
Even though I have had my own struggles personally in recent months, I’m always put in my place when I see stuff like this. Here is a family that lost the leader in the family, and a community who lost a man that had personally molded many of their lives, and they didn’t let their sadness, anger, or bitterness control them, ultimately making things worse. I’m reminded that it doesn’t matter what I go through, there can almost always be something worse. Like the Thomas’ and Becker’s, as long as we keep our eyes focused on the prize, the emotions of this world are meaningless.
Sometimes getting kicked in the butt feels pretty dang good. I’m just saying.
