Good times, bad times

 

Last updated 8/25/2016 at Noon



I think there are a lot of things that we remember and will no doubt ever forget. It might be a shocking situation with historical implications or it might be the timing of something said that influences a person.

One of those instances in my life happened when one of the three coaches that left a lasting impression on me spoke at our season ending basketball banquet my sophomore year. Our coach mentioned an unfortunate situation that took place late in our season.

Let’s just say a rule was broken and a player wasn’t allowed to finish the season.

During the banquet Coach mentioned the incident because it wasn’t a secret to anyone. But our coach didn’t berate the guilty party rather he said he truly believed that out of every bad situation comes something good. He looked at it as a teaching moment where everyone should learn an important lesson not just the individual that broke the rule.

I’ve always remembered that important part of his talk that night. I’m sure there were a few people that have no recollection of that talk or even that night as it was just another sports banquet.

But certain coaches had a way of saying those things that should always be remembered. And Coach Huston was pretty good at doing just that.

Last week rains of biblical proportions fell on Louisiana and devastating flooding took place. Homes and vehicles were destroyed and many of the homes that weren’t destroyed had massive damage as in furniture, carpeting and sheet rock that was saturated and ruined.

It is hard for any of us to imagine what that amount of rain would look like. It would probably be equivalent to the amount of rain this area receives in a decade. How does anyone begin to recover from something like this?

Football coaches from LSU and Louisiana Lafayette brought their teams to some hard hit areas and let their players get their afternoon workouts carrying out soaked furniture and carpeting and the destroyed sheetrock.

It was a great act of kindness and community service for these young men and gave a ray of hope to the many flood victims in Louisiana. These moments are so important to the growth in players usually thought of as stars. It is certainly a humbling experience for these young men but a way that people can say thanks up close and personal instead of hearing the cheers from the stands.

For many of these athletes they may know what it’s like to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane, or severe thunderstorm or flooding, whereas others only get to see those types of destructive situations on the television news in the comfort of their own home.

I believe that these coaches have done a great service not only for the communities that were flooded but also for the football players. Community service and helping their fellow man in trying times is vital to a nation that needs to find ways to reach out and help their neighbors.

Community service can be as simple as helping an elderly couple rake their leaves in the fall or moving furniture or just helping someone move. I know we think our time is valuable and when it is used to help someone in real need it is priceless which it should be.

It is good to see good news coming from the sports world and I’m sure these weren’t the only two teams that were involved just two that received attention. But it only proves the point my coach made over 48 years ago that out of every bad thing that happens comes something good.

 

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