The Back Page
By Sue Ferguson
I can't believe we are leaping into the month of March already! I am on the other side of my 50th birthday now, and guess what? It doesn't really feel much different. I keep hearing “welcome to the club”, however, this “club” is unlike the clubs from the days of old like Brownies and Girl Guides to which I belonged. The goal of earning merit badges and selling cookies has now been traded in for the unwanted signs of aging like wrinkles and the hiding of goodies from my husband for those “perimenopausal” cravings. Life has not gotten less busy for me in any way, but I am loving every minute of it. God continues to put people and circumstances in my path that teach me and shape my life in unimaginable ways. I have tried to be better at saying no and creating boundaries so that I am not so busy, but sometimes it is the things that we at first are unsure about doing that end up being the “game changers.”
If you have read my previous columns, you know that I am currently a Special Olympics coach for swimming and golf. I was recently asked to help coach the Simcoe Special Olympics basketball team for a tournament taking place in Aylmer, in the absence of one of their head coaches. I agreed, hesitantly, as it was to be on a Saturday, and I value my weekends now since I have been working full time. I haven't been exposed to the basketball realm of Special Olympics a whole lot. I was really just going along to be an extra person so that they could have enough support for the number of athletes they were taking. You're never just another “person” though, when you spend time with these amazing humans. They make you feel like a superstar from the minute you step onto the bus first thing in the morning. I will never tire of talking about the effect that these athletes have on my life, so I sincerely hope you do not grow weary of reading about it. Our team consisted of male and female athletes ranging from the ages of 8 to about 55 years old. We played 3 games over the span of 8 hours. With each game I was more mesmerized by the team’s effort to play competitively together, while being courteous to the opposing team at the same time. It wasn't that we won all of the games that made the day special at all. It was the little moments that made the biggest impression. One of our 6 foot tall veterans who can run the length of the court and blow by everyone on his way to a perfect lay up, made a pass to our little 8 year old who dribbled down to the opposing basket. The defending team stepped back and let him shoot. His little arms launched that ball up and right into the basket! The whole auditorium went crazy. Such a cool moment for so many reasons, and that was just one of several that will be etched on my brain. Of the many valuable things we learn from Jesus, He commands us to love one another unconditionally, to respect each other regardless of our differences, and to be kind.
If you want to see this unconditional love of which He speaks in action, spend a little time with my friends from Special Olympics. Go and watch a game sometime. Say “yes!” more often. Currently, our world is full of a lot of uncertainty, hate, and ignorance, and it is hard not to be influenced by these things in a negative way. Especially during these times, make sure you look for the good that is out there too. I believe there is more goodness to be found than you may think, and you might find it in the most unlikely of places. Perhaps you will see it in an old LCBO building that has been converted into a gathering place for food, friendship, and fellowship. You may see it in the kindness of a stranger, or simply on the basketball court in an old high school gymnasium. I pray you will see it, you will be encouraged, and you will be changed.
