__________________________________________
{Straight From the Heart} *A Friendship That Never Ends* 3/28/00
__________________________________________
Welcome to "Straight From the Heart!"
If you enjoy this free daily email service, I encourage you to
forward it on to family and friends. If this has been passed along
to you and you want to join the list, just send a blank email to: Thunder27@aol.com
I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism, so feel free to
write me (Michael T. Powers) and let me know what you think!
__________________________________________
Today's story reminded me so much of Coach Greer, whom I have
written about before, and it reaffirmed what I have always believed
about coaching sports. Coaching is about building relationships,
building self-confidence, and touching players lives. Coaching is
mostly about the game -- the game of life that is. When a coach wins
all of his games, but loses his players in the process, "Success"
becomes failure...
I only hope that I might have the same relationship with the players
I coach as Lynn's coach has with her. Read on...
Michael
****
A FRIENDSHIP THAT NEVER ENDS
By: Lynn M. Lombard
At Akron High School, I was heavily involved in Cross Country and
Track, both of which were coached by one very special man. At times,
I found myself lacking the confidence I needed to reach my goals. But
with the help of my coach, I was able to bring them closer. I'll
always remember the day I saw him for the wonderful, thoughtful man
he is. At a practice that was personally disappointing, he helped me
in a way I'll never forget.
"Are you all right, Lynn?" he came up to me after my run around the track.
"I'm fine," I said, discouraged.
"Come on, Lynn. I know you better than that," he remarked. My eyes
began to water and the tears came as easily as a little baby's wail.
In the gymnasium, we sat and talked for what seemed like hours. His
solid advice is something I reflect upon often.
"Trying your best and continuing to work hard is all anyone can expect
from you, including yourself. Giving up cannot be part of your
vocabulary. I believe you can do it. Now you have to believe it
yourself." And when I pointed out my weaknesses, he boasted about
my strengths. Our next track meet showed me running a great 400 and
as I passed the finish line, I saw the look on his face that said,
"I told you so." I felt a new confidence in myself that day. He had
a way of making me see the best in myself. I'll always be grateful to
him for that.
It was two years ago that I last saw him. As we pass the horse crossing
sign and see the sky-blue lake to the right of us, we know we are very
close. My heart beats fast with excitement as I read the street signs
off one by one to myself. As soon as my husband turns onto the rocky
dirt road, his big colonial house beams at us. White, with hunter-green
shutters and a gray and black roof, it stands there like a mother to
the many other small cottages around it.
Moments later, we stood at his front door and rang the bell. With a
smile, I walk up the steps and into my coach's arms for the hug hello
we always share.
"What's this?" he asks, seeing the big basket in my hands. "It's just
like you to do something like this," he comments, looking at the
chocolates, coffees and candles inside. While he makes a fuss over
my kindness, I noticed he's still slim, yet muscular as if his daily
running habit had not been broken. The gray in his hair seems no more
so than the last time we saw one another. He had always aged well, I thought.
"Are you still writing?" he asks me as we sit down and begin what
would turn into a lengthy talk. It felt great giving him an answer I
knew he would be proud of. He told me long ago that I had a talent he
had hoped I wouldn't give up on. He should have known me better than
that since he was the one who taught me about not giving up. It didn't
surprise me that he wouldn't take credit for that. He never did. He
always taught me through his own example. I dearly admired that about
him.
After catching up on our current lives, he takes us for a short tour
of his new surroundings. Outside, we walk on the old, yet stable dock
overstepping the fidgety lake. The wind blows through our already
messed hair, and I can't help but smile as I stand there. I look out
into the forever blue water and suddenly feel very small in comparison.
The choppiness of it makes semi-waves as it rushes up to the rocky
shore. Nearby, a fisherman in his boat strolls past on a journey to
catch the evening's dinner. The fresh air takes me back to high school,
training in track practice. Running the long stretches of blacktops
and the numerous hills to get in shape was tough. My coach, always
there beside me, kept me going. He never once let me quit or fall
behind. Running circles around me making jokes, he'd try in any way
to crack a smile on my exhausted face. Never succeeding, he'd think
I was angry at him for making me work so hard. Little did he know
that inside I was smiling and appreciating him more than ever.
As the afternoon proceeds, my coach and his wife take us for a drive
around the lake in their navy-blue Chevy Blazer. We pull in front of
a Carvel shop and my face lights up. "Come on, I'll buy you an ice
cream," he says to us. Like a little kid, I quickly work my way down
to the cone that surrounds the chocolate-vanilla crunch ice cream I
chose. We finish our treats in the truck on the way back to his house.
After dinner and more friendly chatter, the day quickly draws into
night as we watch the sun set; red, orange, and blue mixing together
to accent it's beauty. Regretful that the day is over, we walk outside
into the cool night air.
"It was great seeing you," my coach remarks.
"Thanks for the invite," I say, hugging him, breathing in the
familiar scent of his cologne.
"You're welcome here anytime." And I knew that we were.
The two hour drive back is relaxing. I pondered the many memories of
our time together, and smile knowing I had added one more to the
stack that filled my mind. I know there will be more visits and more
laughs between the two of us. And that makes the future look brighter.
My coach always did have a way of doing that.
Lynn M. Lombard
ddlandlml@gateway.net
Send Lynn an email and let her know what you thought of her story!
**************
Lynn is 24 years old and lives with her husband in Akron, New York.
She is a legal administrative assistant and has worked in a law firm
for the past 6 years. She devotes her free time to writing, something
she's loved to do since she was a little girl. She has been published
with Blue Mountain Arts, The Buffalo News, True Love, True Romance,
The Rose & Thorn Literary E-Zine and most recently with Heartwarmers4U.
She has written many things about her former running coach and has
shared most of them with him. "The last thing I sent him, he
contacted me to let me know he went out to buy a frame for it and
that it is hanging on his den room wall among the many others I have
given to him. He is a special man, and I'm just glad that I've been
able to express it to him."
*****************
Chain of Moments
In the shy twilight of evening
reflect on where you've been.
In the bold dark of night,
journey far, to places unseen.
In the hesitant dawn of morning,
breathe deeply in peace, and know
the day will always take you
wherever you need to go.
© 2000 Terri McPherson
tmcphers@mnsi.net
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Weaving Small Wisdoms Through The Fabric Of Life
http://www.mnsi.net/~tmcphers/index.htm
__________________________________________________________________
Requests:
From: shaley@telusplanet.net (Ellie Braun-Haley)
Please pray for Maggie in Australia. About a year ago her son died and
now she is fighting cancer. She has just finished her final treatment
of chemo therapy... Now her body needs to retaliate and regenerate.
She is a sweet lady and needs the prayers of others. Pray for her body
to heal and to energize and for her to grow stonger each day.
___________________________________________________
Thought For The Day:
"Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm."
(Publilius Syrus)
Verse for the Day:
"If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."
Proverbs 24:10
Kid's Thought For The day:
"It's a lot harder to laugh when you are by yourself."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"You know you've spent too much time carpooling your kids when
fast-food, drive-through servers recognize your voice."
(Linda Fiterman)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it
without any hope of fame and money, but even practices it without
any hope of doing it well."
(G. K. Chesterton)
Deep Thought For The Day:
"I am reading a very interesting book about anti-gravity. I just
can't put it down."
_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com http://members.aol.com/Thunder27/index.html
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \ Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
\_\/ of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Video Imagery (Michael's Video Production Business)
"I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch the video
we gave them. They loved it, to say the least! Within thirty
seconds my mom was crying and my dad did too. They said it was
the best Christmas gift we could have given them!! You did such
a beautiful job! They were so suprised and so touched---they
really, really, really loved it. Thanks for helping to make it so
special to us all. My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect for
the video too! Thanks again!"
Kelli (RKaGe@aol.com) College Station, TX
Let me make you a video from your pictures or home movies!
Check out the web page for Michael's video production business!
Video Imagery
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html