Thirteen years ago, I took a one year Sabbatical from coaching, my first since college. It's stories like the one below that I missed. This is from October 10, 2006.
I saw it at the edge of our elementary playground as we walked to practice last Thursday. (Lord willing, we will be back in our gym next week and out of the church courtyard!) It was a little sheet of children's stickers, the kind elementary teachers put on spelling papers and arithmetic homework. Actually, it was a used sheet with only about six stickers left. As we began our practice, I gave the sheet to my student coach, Christian Chevis. I informed the girls that at the end of our workout, Christian would select the players who worked the hardest and would present them with these colorful adhesive emblems. Coincidentally or not, we had a tremendous practice! As we closed for the morning, I had the Lady Wildcats stand in a circle and close their eyes while Christian applied the stickers to six cheekbones. I wish you could have seen what I witnessed. Fourteen young ladies waited just like the women in the Miss America pageant as the winner is about to be disclosed. You know the look, hoping against hope that the crown will rest on their head, smiling and grimacing concurrently. It was amazing. As soon as I got back to my classroom, I put out an e-mail, asking for donations of stickers from any teacher with a supply. There were plenty. I have promoted Christian to Sticker Coach with a thousand-plus assorted stickers at her disposal to be awarded at her discretion. It's going to be a fun season.
As a coach, it makes no sense to me. As an adult male, it makes even less. But, I know what I saw. Motivation comes in a variety of packages and sentiments. I remember watching a marriage seminar video in a church Bible study years ago. The speaker related how his wife would get so excited when he would stop by the store every so often and bring home her favorite candy bar; I think it was a SNICKERS. It wasn't a big gift- most might not even classify it as a gift- but it had great value to the recipient. The Lord gives us the ability to find motivation and purpose in unpredictable endowments, significant and trivial alike. He also gives us the ability to distribute those kindnesses, to heal a wound or lift a sagging spirit. So, if you need a little expert help, call Christian Chevis, the Westbury Christian Sticker Coach. She's got you covered!
Applicable quote of the day:
"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
I saw it at the edge of our elementary playground as we walked to practice last Thursday. (Lord willing, we will be back in our gym next week and out of the church courtyard!) It was a little sheet of children's stickers, the kind elementary teachers put on spelling papers and arithmetic homework. Actually, it was a used sheet with only about six stickers left. As we began our practice, I gave the sheet to my student coach, Christian Chevis. I informed the girls that at the end of our workout, Christian would select the players who worked the hardest and would present them with these colorful adhesive emblems. Coincidentally or not, we had a tremendous practice! As we closed for the morning, I had the Lady Wildcats stand in a circle and close their eyes while Christian applied the stickers to six cheekbones. I wish you could have seen what I witnessed. Fourteen young ladies waited just like the women in the Miss America pageant as the winner is about to be disclosed. You know the look, hoping against hope that the crown will rest on their head, smiling and grimacing concurrently. It was amazing. As soon as I got back to my classroom, I put out an e-mail, asking for donations of stickers from any teacher with a supply. There were plenty. I have promoted Christian to Sticker Coach with a thousand-plus assorted stickers at her disposal to be awarded at her discretion. It's going to be a fun season.
As a coach, it makes no sense to me. As an adult male, it makes even less. But, I know what I saw. Motivation comes in a variety of packages and sentiments. I remember watching a marriage seminar video in a church Bible study years ago. The speaker related how his wife would get so excited when he would stop by the store every so often and bring home her favorite candy bar; I think it was a SNICKERS. It wasn't a big gift- most might not even classify it as a gift- but it had great value to the recipient. The Lord gives us the ability to find motivation and purpose in unpredictable endowments, significant and trivial alike. He also gives us the ability to distribute those kindnesses, to heal a wound or lift a sagging spirit. So, if you need a little expert help, call Christian Chevis, the Westbury Christian Sticker Coach. She's got you covered!
Applicable quote of the day:
"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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