Make A Difference

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I was planning on writing something in regards to the NCAA tournament and how amazing the first four days were.  I was going to couple that with some witty comments about a player or team and follow that up with my predictions on how the rest of the tournament might play out. 

That was the plan.

As we all know plans change. 

The reason plans change in our life are wide ranging.  It could be as simple as you have a flat tire on your car or as major as an emergency in your family. 

The latter of the two examples is where I changed my plans.

I was planning on checking my email like I do everyday.  I opened up the account and before I was to put in my password I came across the picture of Jim Kelly and his daughter.  He was lying in a hospital bed and she was clutching his arm lovingly. 

It hit me like a ton of bricks. 

As an emotional guy I am not afraid to say it brought a tear to my eye. 

As a father of two children it spoke to me of what is really important in life.  It isn't sports.  It is family.  It also reminded me that even though we put our sports heroes on a pedestal they are just as human as the rest of us.  They are not superheros.  They are people.  They are people with real lives.  They are people with kids.

Jim Kelly is battling cancer.  Jim Kelly is preparing for surgery.  This is as serious as it gets. 

He was a Hall of Fame quarterback that led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls.  An amazing feat for an amazing person.  Although they lost those games and it was hard on him he got through it.  He will need to channel that bility to overcome and then some in his upcoming days. 

During his playing days he was used to being in control of his team and able to orchestrate their offense with ease. 

On the field he was in control of his own destiny. 

In life he is not.  He, like millions of families, is suffering from something he has no control of.   

He, and his family, are putting their faith and trust in the medical professionals to make him better.  Just as his teammates trusted him to make their team better. 

He has a great battle ahead of him. 

This will be nothing like trying to dodge a Lawrence Taylor pass rush or keeping his passes out of the sticky fingers of Deion Sanders. 

It is real life. 

We as fans and he as a player have used sports to keep our minds off of real life.  We use sports to escape the trials and tribulations we all go through on a daily basis.  We hope just for a few hours our minds can be shut off and just experience sports for the fun and excitement they bring. 

Mr. Kelly, and his family, are now needing to rely on the support from his fans and prayers from his fans to lift him up. 

He was there for you on Sundays to give you an outlet to blow off steam and escape your daily life. 

He now needs you to be there for him and his family. 

Like I stated before sports is great and I love it.  But I love my family more.  When I saw that picture it made me want to spend more time with my family.  It made me want to not get so frustrated when they leave the house a mess or don't put their dishes away. 

It also makes me want to do something to help others. 

We as humans need to look in the mirror and think what it is we can do to make the world a better place. 

There is enough sadness and heartache going on right now in the world from the missing Flight 370 to the mudslide in Washington. 

In Michael Jackson's song "Man in the Mirror" it said "I'm gonna make a change for once in my life, It's gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference, gonna make it right...If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a change." 

Strong message. 

When you do things for others it does feel good.  It warms your heart. 

What I ask of you is to don't take sports so seriously.  Don't take life for granted.

Take a look at Jim and his daughter in that picture and think what would I do in this situation or what have I done in this situation.  I know what I am going to do.   

I am going to hug my family and go out and try to make a difference.