The holiday season is upon us once more, and thankfully so.
As my family and I went in to Salt Lake City last weekend to look at the
beautiful holiday lights that are a yearly tradition on Temple Square
(headquarters of the LDS/Mormon Church), we passed by a homeless man who had
positioned himself on a corner not too far away from the happy crowd in the
hopes of gleaming charity from others better off than he. He was older and the
grizzled look on the craggy face he owned told a story of having endured many
hard years with much of that being on the streets. As I stopped briefly to
gladly give this man what little money I had on me and wish him a Merry
Christmas, it hit me like a reindeer kick in the side of the head: that I need
to be much more appreciative of what I do have in my life, instead of
thinking about what I could use receiving as a present from someone else. In
other words, I simply need to be much more grateful for what I do have.
National statistics show that suicide rates climb by as much
as 40% during the holiday season. While I don’t wish to dwell on the negative
at this time of year, I feel it’s very easy to let depression set in,
especially for parents of students at Logan River Academy who may be having a
hard time dealing with their child’s placement at a residential treatment
facility in general, and more so for those few whose child may not be able to
return home at the present time to visit. In times when I need inspiration and
uplifting, there’s been a powerful speech that I go back to time and again
which really resonates with me, and it’s my hope that it might do the same for
you this time of season despite it’s unconventionality as it relates to the
holidays.
Coach Jim Valvano (“Jimmy V”) was the head coach for the
North Carolina State men’s basketball team. For those of you familiar, he’s the
coach shown in highlights running around the basketball court looking for
someone to hug after his team won the national championship in 1983. Or perhaps
the phrase “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up” will ring a bell. Ten years
after winning the national championship, he was diagnosed with metastatic
cancer and passed away in April of 1993, less than two months after giving a
famous speech at the inaugural ESPY awards where he received the Arthur Ashe
Courage and Humanitarian Award. His tombstone reads: “Take time everyday to
laugh, to think, to cry.”
It’s my hope that during this holiday season, whatever your
circumstances may be, that you might find inspiration in the words of this man
who was grateful for every moment of his life in the face of a terminal
diagnosis that would shortly end his life.
No comments:
Post a Comment