Friday Night Lessons

Photo Credit:  Kevin_P from morgueFile.com

Our family recently enjoyed some time under the spell of Friday night football.  With finger-lickin’ nachos in hand, we made our way into the stands.  However, in south Texas, we weren’t welcomed with a crisp, cool evening just yet.  It was humid and we almost needed a blood transfusion with all the mosquito bites.  BUT!  Nothing stops a cheering fan, right?!

Before too long, we heard the crack of tackles and the crashing of helmets.  The cheerleaders were yelling with enthusiasm as they threw small footballs like torpedoes into the growing crowd.  The pride and spirit pulsed through the stadium with each beat of the school band.  A sea of fans filled the creaky bleachers and the scoreboard lit up the dusky sky like white stars in the black of night.

Aside from the fact that I WILL be purchasing a bleacher cushion before the next game, we were having a grand ole time.  Then, my son pulled out his wallet that held a single five dollar bill.  He was STARVING (like all 9-year-old boys right after supper), so he begged for more grub at the concession stand.  About the time he offered to buy this round of snacks, a whisper of wind grabbed the bill out of his hands and whisked it away…somewhere far, far away…under the bleachers.

Oh, the sadness on that boy’s face!  Terrible.  Just terrible.  He was struck with such sorrow that he couldn’t move.  So, my daughter and I trampled down the bleachers to go and find it for him.  We looked and looked.  And looked.  No money to be found in the muddy mess under the stands.

Many things ran through my mind on the way back to tell him that we came up empty-handed.  The first of which was the urge to remind him that I’d advised against opening his wallet in the bleachers…that his money might fall through the cracks.  My second, more optimistic thought, was that some happy camper now thinks it rains money and believes in the power of even the tiniest of prayers.  My final, most loving thought, was that someone might have needed that five bucks more than we did.

When we made it back to our seats, my son had already gained some sense of composure about the whole thing.  Through a sniffle or two, he said, “Do you think that maybe someone needed it more than me, Mom?  I’ll just think of it as a donation…like at church.”  I nodded in agreement and we sat in silence for a moment, with one arm around my son.  Friday night lessons learned.

Speaking of lessons learned, I can always use some food for thought myself.  One recent Friday evening, my Aunt Edie sent me an e-mail with some wonderful pearls of wisdom that I want to share with you today:

A Lot Of Trouble Would Disappear If Only People Would Learn To Talk To One Another, Instead Of Talking About One Another.

When People Walk Away From You, Let Them Go.  Your Destiny Is Never Tied To Anyone Who Leaves You.  It Doesn't Mean They Are Bad People, It Just Means That Their Part In Your Story Is Over.

Human Life Would Be Perfect If... Anger Had A STOP Button, Mistakes Had A REWIND Button, Hard Times Had A FORWARD Button, And Good Times Had A PAUSE Button.

A Reflection Cannot Be Seen In Boiling Water.  In The Same Way, Truth Cannot Be Seen In A State Of Anger.  Analyze Before You Finalize.

A Good Heart Can Win Many Relationships.  A Good Nature Can Win Many Good Hearts.

The Greatest Of All Faults Is To Imagine That You Have None.

A TOUCH Could HEAL A Wound.  An Eye Could SPEAK Volumes.  A SMILE Can Confirm I AM THERE.

The Bird Asked The Honeybee: "You Work So Hard To Make The Honey And Humans Just Take It Away.  Doesn't It Make You Feel Bad?"  "No," Said The Bee, "Because They Will Never Take From Me The Art Of Making It."

Friday night lessons learned.

My final tale to share is adapted from Mikey’s Funnies.  For all of us with kids in sports…some for the umpteenth year in a row now…some of us for the very first time…here goes:

At one point during the game, the coach called one of his players aside and asked, "Do you understand what cooperation is?  What a team is?"  The boy nodded in the affirmative.

"Do you understand that what matters is whether we win or lose together as a team?"  The boy nodded yes.

”So," the coach continued, "I'm sure you know, when a flag is thrown, you shouldn't argue, curse, attack the referee, or call him an idiot or blind.  Do you understand all that?" The boy nodded yes again.

He continued, "And when I take you out of the game so another boy gets a chance to play too, it's not good sportsmanship to call your coach stupid is it?" The boy shook his head NO.

"GOOD," said the coach, "Now go over there and explain all that to your parents and grandparents."

With my husband embarking on a first time gig as an assistant coach for our son’s flag football team, I just thought he’d appreciate me sharing this last little story – hee hee!  Best of luck to my husband and son and all of the teams out there learning lessons…on and off the field.

So, in wrapping up, let’s not miss out on an opportunity to learn something…whether it be on a Friday night…or a Monday morning…or a Wednesday afternoon.  Never stop learning.  Have a great week, Sunshines!