Dec 26 2006
Overcoming Adversity
First of all let me wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. I know it’s going to be different for myself and everyone involved with bringing in my 17 yr old trouble young man into my home.
He has been through alot of grief, despair and instability in his life as well as that feeling that nobody ever wants to feel in any walk of life and that is the feeling no one cares. It’s an awful lonely feeling that i went through myself in my early years as well. He has alot of anger built up and I am going to take on the responsibility of helping him not just because he is my son and it ‘s my job, but because it’s the right thing to do.
I may have to go away to be with my son for a while to catch up with him and hopefully get to the bottom of the pain he is suffering. Its a big task, some say only for a professional, but I say that I am not going to give into that thought until I have spent time with him Son to Dad, Man to Man.
I am hoping this will turn out to be a Holiday miracle in the making, god knows the boy has suffered enough and is due for a easier perspective on life and himself. All I ask from all my friends and anyone reading this is too communicate to your family and friends that you care and that you are there as a friend.
I have been a volunteer for the last 5 yrs at Shumpert Hospice Grace Home and I do it to try to make someones life just a little bit easier if I can, to show that some is there that cares and is willing to help make that so. we need to show that we care especially during the Christmas season by not leaving it up to assumption but to show that we care by actions. like a hug, anyone that knows me, then they know I give them out for free because I care and I really care about peoples feelings.
How does this relate to hockey? first off adversity and learning to fight through it as well as finding ways to overcome it until that one day when you can look back and just enjoy the feeling of where you are as opposed to where you started. We learn more from the journey than we do the destination.
Hockey been there for me for over 35yrs of my life and has gotten me through some tough times by always giving me something to look forward to when there was nothing, or at least so it seemed. When I could either attend or watch hockey on the tv, it was upwards of 3 hours away from all the troubling difficulties of life that we all struggle as if we were trying to find the light switch in a pitch dark room. We know its there but we just don’t know how to get to it. Sometimes it takes others to help, and its by helping we also help each other as well.
Adversity is something the Mudbugs have been faced with this season right from the start. Now to have your #1 netminder go down for the season only adds to it. We will find out if there is enough character in the players on this team to pull together and at least come out and give there best as much as they can.
The players need to find the leader in each one of them instead of depending someone else to do that for them. They will need to find other ways to win, other ways to make that extra big play every game, that extra blocked shot, or simply that extra effort.
Over the years I have gone and supported the Buffalo Sabres when they stunk, the Rochester Americans when the smelled up the joint just as bad, but I still went to the games and I still rooted for my team colors whether they won or not.
If there is one thing I have learned from the many many years of following this sport is that it is much easier to cheer when things are going well, but when things are tough and its tough to watch the team you love not live up to the expectations of the times when things were easier , is difficult i know but you must believe that these players although they maybe not as good as in years past still care about winning , still care about their teammates and still care about wanting to go out their and do well and win the game for us the fans. That will never change.
The road ahead will be rough, but when you know someone cares and believes in them despite possibly not believing in themselves can maybe make life for us and our team just little bit easier. I have always felt that it was the responsibility of everyone to at least try to make someones life a Little easier not harder.
I will be there as much as I can to support my team, because I love the team called the Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs. I may not agree with everything, but that’s OK because I still love my team even if I don’t like them as much. I will hang around as always because I also love the game of hockey because it never gave up on me. a good lesson that I will be relaying to my son in the coming days.
Hockey is not only about skating and shooting etc.. its about family and friends. Hockey is the most family orientated sport I know of and going to the games to see my friends is half the fun.
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