They Just Keep Coming At You!

       My weekly musing of two weeks ago spoke of my grandchildren. Four of the five are of mixed race. They have brought the wonderful blessing of diversity into our lives. They have also brought in another new trait to our family; athletic ability.

     My siblings and I had no athletic skills whatever. My younger brother Bill symbolized all of us by receiving special recognition for his performance in the marching band. The “Two Left Feet” award was created for Bill, and to my knowledge, he is the only recipient of it. In truth, he represented all of our family in our overall clumsiness. None of us ever participated in any organized sport. We were simply too uncoordinated to even try.

     Alenda’s family was different. She and her brother both played sports in high school. The difference shows up still today. In anything from skiing to dancing to playing volleyball to bowling, I kind of resemble a mechanical man, jerking and stumbling and generally looking awkward. At my daughter Tanya’s wedding reception, I actually took a few lessons so that I would know how to dance with her. I thought it went well until I looked at the video later. It was not flattering.

     Our children seemed to get more of Alenda’s side of the family regarding athleticism. They all played organized sports, and Chuck did very well as a lineman in football. Beyond that, I think it is fair to say that they were average. 

     Moving on to grandchildren, three of the five, Jadyn, Kaley, and Tyler have shown real talent. It has been exciting for Alenda and me to watch them play. Travis is less interested in team sports, but excels in jiu-jitsu, video games, and creating stop-motion animation videos. He also has the distinction of being the only Gardner descendent in known history to catch a pass in a football game. Dalton was hampered by being too much like his grandfather to excel in sports.

     Today I want to focus on Jadyn. She has been outstanding as a goalie in lacrosse, collecting accolades and representing lax clubs, both regionally and nationally, for a number of years. Playing Varsity all four years in high school, she is a team captain and was recently honored for recording four hundred saves (and counting) over her high school career. She was recruited and will be attending Ithaca college next fall, slated to eventually be the starting goalie on their lacrosse team.

     Recently I watched a game where she was really challenged. They were facing an undefeated team that was undisputedly better than her team. From the onset, Jadyn was under siege. Most of the game was played in front of her net, with shots coming at her without mercy. Despite a number of great saves, the final score was quite lopsided in favor of the opponents. I was proud of her for simply having the courage to hang in there and do her best.

     Sometime life comes at us in the same manner as the opposing team came at Jadyn in that game. I recently met with a man who told me he was deep in despair over financial and relationship losses. Over a two-year period had come a heart attack, a divorce, the death of his mother, serious relationship strain with a daughter, and severe financial stress. He is a man of strong Christian faith, and he is wondering where God is during this time. He had received advice to seek three or four other Christian men to help him negotiate all of this, and I was one of them.

     I avoided giving him any empty platitudes to explain his misfortune. I could only offer my sincere belief that God is still with him, and perhaps clarity and/or improvement will come. And perhaps not. I encouraged him to know that regardless of life’s circumstances, he is truly a precious child of God, and worthy of love and respect. I assured him that he has both from me. Finally, I invited him to join a small men’s bible study group where he can interact with others who have experienced and survived time of bitter stress. He joined the next session.

     Some of you are also in the throes of challenges and stress. I hope you have resources to lean on. I hope that faith in a higher being is part of those resources. The best advice I can give is to stay in the goal, doing the best you can to block the assaults, and clinging to the hope that a better existence lies ahead.