Basketball Hope & Fate: Michael's Story
On my last day of high school while shooting hoops outside, a freshman boy named Michael who was shunned by many because his family rented a shack on a coal pit, asked to play. We played for perhaps a half hour or so and I gave him some pointers, letting him take most of the shots. We had a lot of fun. I did not know it would be the last time seeing him alive.
A couple years later, I came home late at night after work to discover this same young man had fallen asleep, ran off the road and hit a telephone pole on our property. The front of his Volkswagen Beetle was wrapped around the telephone pole and sadly he died at the scene.
Michael's older sister who had been in my class, a few weeks after the accident stopped by to thank me for taking time with her little brother. Brenda cried and hugged me as she told how much it meant to him to feel accepted and encouraged by a simple gesture of kindness.
That half hour of basketball seemed to be a turning-point in his self-confidence. We then cried together at the scene of Michael's accident. I remember as if moments ago enjoying mentoring a freshman who made my day by asking me to play basketball. You see having athletic ability does not replace our need for friends. Michael will forever be my friend.
To date, by God's grace I have saved at least six lives, yet at this moment, my heart cries out; Why not seven? His life was priceless to his family and all who took the time to get to know him. You may not need to run into a burning house, stop at accident scenes, save a little girl drowning in your parent's lake or climb a tall tree to stop a classmate's suicide as I have.
YOU JUST NEED TO BE AVAILABLE, KIND & PATIENT. #ThisIsWhatLoveDoes
Please share or like this story and always give of your time to encourage others.
Most sincerely,
Jerry A. Blake, Broker/President at Blake Commercial Realty