Lesson. I love basketball, a game I played for over 50 years. In the early years it was organized competition. In later years it was noon-time pick-up games.
A few years back, I worked for 6 months for The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. North Carolina was then and remains today a basketball state. At that time, Alabama was strictly a football state. Noon-time basketball is serious business in North Carolina.
The people I played with had a fun tradition. Once a year, they filmed some games and then gathered during happy hour at a local bar with a big screen. I remember 3 things from watching films on that big screen.
First, I looked like I was playing in slow motion. I was never fast, but to say I was slow in those films would be an understatement.
Second, at times during the games, grown men with PhDs would nearly come to blows over whether a ball was in-bounds or out-of-bounds. When the film showed the ball was clearly one way or the other there was some serious embarrassment.
Third, their tradition was to divide teams into shirts and skins. After watching the film, I decided that was my final game as a skin.
In addition to playing the game, I have watched hundreds of games on television and in person. From my considerable experience, I have learned many important lessons. The big important one that is on my heart today is that individual excellence is good but cooperation is necessary for team success. Having great athletes is an advantage only if those athletes learn to cooperate.
John Wooden said it well: “A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group – that’s teamwork.”
In my opinion teamwork is a lesson is our politicians on both sides of the aisle need to develop. We have too many people who believe their team is their political party rather than a united team of Americans.
Yum, Yum. Growing up my family never ate out. We ate breakfast and supper together at home. Often the meal had home grown food. My parents had a big garden. They did it for financial reason. A big garden was a residual effect of surviving the depression. They, of course, still bought groceries but the garden was a supplement that reduced expenses.
I remember spreading compost, spading, planting, weeding and harvesting. Then the work of canning, freezing ang pickling began. The experience was an important part of my formative years.
I have missed that experience for over forty years. Since we moved to Alabama, my attempts at gardening have been feeble at best.
This year I decided to do a better job. I got good soil. I planted early. I cut trees to create more sun. I have weeded and watered.
Today I will eat a BLT with home-grown tomatoes and lettuce. In the spirit of Memorial Day weekend, I will be honoring my parents in a small way.
This and That
The best laid plans often go astray
On Friday I was finishing my sermon preparation when I was struck by a virus. I was too ill to deliver it. I had a typed copy. A member of our church stepped up and read it on Sunday. It is no easy task to say another person’s words in a meaningful manner. He did a great job.
Good News
Heart warming
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Peace
Jerry
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