Posts Tagged ‘Dad’

I grew up in a home where sports were celebrated. All types, we were not single sport snobs. I grew up watching golf, wrestling, football, basketball, hockey, and baseball. My mom loves all sports and my grandparents were avid Hawkeye fans and fans of anything their grandkids participated in. My dad coached several different sports, everything from my T-ball teams to my brothers wrestling.

I can remember grown men coming up to my dad and telling him he was the best coach they ever had. I of course would stand a little taller, as if I had anything to do with it; I was proud of my dad and the obvious impact he had had on these men. As a grown, women and a mother of three, I am always looking for my dad’s input when it comes to the sports programs my kids are involved in or his opinion on different opportunities they have. My dad lives three hours away so any coaching opportunities he gets with my kids happen on vacations or special family holidays.

My dad gladly gave his gift of coaching to so many and I truly believe it was a gift. I have known a lot of coaches in my life and trust me, they are not all created equally!

About four years ago someone suggested a hitting coach by the name of John Maitland for my oldest son Jacob. It took me about a year to actually make the call and set up a lesson but once we had our first lesson my boys met with John weekly until this year right before Easter.

John would be the first one to admit he never really was a very good baseball player but he loved it. He was a student of the game. John loved the strategy, loved the odds of succeeding in a game of failure and loved to keep everything simple.

I will never forget the first time my son had a lesson in John’s basement, not a pretty or fancy set-up and I do remember being slightly fearful of where to sit! My son hit a few balls for John and John promptly told him where he was struggling and how he could help him improve his swing and batting average. And that is exactly what he did. You could see my son’s improvement in the batter’s box and on paper but what he gave Jacob that meant so much more to his mom, was the self confidence to believe in himself.

John was the first coach to ever spend quality one on one time with Jacob building into him. If you would have ever heard any of their conversations during a lesson you would say I’m crazy to think that, most of the lessons John was picking on the Cubs (my son’s favorite team), or Jacob’s lack of focus or the fact that he was wanted by the police in several counties….. some days it never ended….Jacob loved it and would try to plan ways he was going to “get” John, but somewhere in between all of the jokes and knocks on each other, John would say, “Now that was a nice swing and he would mean it.” And Jacob would soak it up.

I have always looked forward to the weekly lessons and my conversations with him. We would discuss everything from, his latest civil war find, the Kennedy assignation and crazy baseball parents. I will miss his advice, and sense of humor, but most of all I will miss his friendship. I don’t know if he ever realized what he gave to me as a parent when he gave Jacob his confidence in the batter’s box, he gave me confidence as a parent that even if only for a little while during a baseball game, I could relax and know my kid had found his swing.

John lost his battle with bone marrow cancer on June, 22nd 2010. He was an inspiring coach to hundreds of kids and their families. I once read what matters most in life isn’t the day you were born or the day you die, it is what you did during the dash in between those two days that matters most. Well done John and thank you.

Have you ever thought you had everything planned out for the day. Get kids to school, come home, do laundry, vacuum, dust, exercise, run to grocery store, pick kids up from school, help with home work, quick dinner, get everyone to practice/games come home, give baths, help review for test tomorrow, drop into bed, zzzzzzz
But the reality for your day could be a completely different plan….plan B…God’s plan.

Recently my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  It was determined to be in the early stages but complete removal of the prostrate was the recommended treatment.  The surgery was scheduled for the end of the month.  I made the necessary  arrangements to travel home for the surgery(only slightly less difficult than preparing for the launch of the next shuttle into space) and went.

After about an hour and a half into the surgery the attending nurse came out and told my mom that the surgery was finished.(not good news when at the minimum the surgery was to take three hours)  The doctor and the anesthesiologist informed us that they had not been able to intubate my dad and would need to reschedule to surgery for a later date when he could be awake and easier to intubate.

Wait….what!!! But we are all here and he is ready and it needs to happen now…its cancer…get it out of him….NOW!!!…we are not waiting…wake him up and try now!!!!

It may not be a scheduled surgery…it could be something as simple as a child waking up sick during the night and you have an important meeting the next day or something as drastic as the sudden loss of a loved one but whatever it may be that changes your plan A to plan B, are you ready?  Are you willing?

The idea that we are in control of our lives is comforting but not the truth.  God is in control and he has a plan for our lives.  Are we to sit back and wait for the perfect instructions?  Yes and No!  Yes, be available to hear God speak to you but we must also live!  Plan your life according to His Word and the instructions on how to live but be prepared to let go of those plans if he redirects you!!!

My dad had his surgery and is recovering at home.  I believe the anesthesiologist could not intubate my dad the first time because of my dad’s anatomy but I also think that God wants to teach me to take these opportunities when plan A doesn’t work out, to look for His plan.  For my mom, dad and other family members it could have been a different lesson.  The possibilities for the amount of different lessons and outcomes for all of the people involved is mind boggling.  The doctors, nurses, babysitters, who ever was involved in the procedure that day, God has plans for !!! Amazing!! Wonderful!

Our God never ceases to amaze me!

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”