Pray

Over the past couple of months, I have learned that this blog gets significantly more readers than I ever would have guessed. It's not exactly on google's top 10 most visited sites, but I am constantly receiving messages from people wondering why I don't post more, people who I had absolutely no idea were reading my blog regularly.

Today, I have a favor to ask of all these people. If you believe in the power of prayer, I would ask that you give a brief mention of a man named Kevin in your next discussion with the Boss.

On Christmas Eve, my uncle Kevin took his daughter sledding. He was involved in a serious accident, and is currently fighting for the ability to walk again. This is the same uncle who taught me how to ski, wakeboard, kneeboard, and who loves almost every outdoor recreational activity known to man. I can't even begin to express how sad this turn of events has made me. I have been negligent in posting this entirely because I have been unsure of what to say. It seems so useless to just scrawl virtual words on a website, but at the moment, words are all I have to offer:

If there is one thing that we are reminded of far too often, it is that human bodies are frail. A mere piece of paper can cause an injury that, while small, will fester for far longer than seems possible. But something that we are reminded of not nearly often enough is that though the body can be bruised, beaten, broken and maimed, the heart and spirit of a person can endure much more than the body could ever claim to. So long as the spirit endures, the body will find a way to follow.

I find myself coming back to a quote from a movie, one of the most amazing monologues I've ever heard: "Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on for a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble." This line is from Spiderman 2, and while I never really took to the super hero movies that much, they all inherently carry a message that should resound with all of us: Our greatest glories come in our darkest hours.

Kevin, I have little doubt that this is your darkest hour. But I want you and anyone who reads this, now or ever, to know that there is zero doubt in my mind that you will face this challenge with the same courage and temerity that we have all come to expect from you. And in doing so, you will teach all of us that in our own darkest hours we will only need to look to the past, to the example that you set for all of us.

I fully expect to play another round of golf with you in the future. In fact, I expect it so assuredly that I have already made us a tea time top play at Treetops to celebrate your recovery. By the way, this may or may not be a bad time, but the course needed the money up front, so you owe me $160 whenever you get a free minute. I take cash, check, or you can make a direct deposit into my Fidelity account.