Last night my bedtime reading was the February 2 issue of Sports Illustrated, where I came across two memorable stories. The first was Kelli Anderson's tribute to Kay Yow, the North Carolina State women's basketball coach who passed away last week after a two-decade long battle with breast cancer. This Hall of Fame coach was known for her competitiveness and compassion, and in the wake of her death former players and fellow coaches recounted the lessons Yow taught them both on and off the court. Former player Gillian Goring's words were particularly striking: "You will go through a lot of stuff in life that will try to pull you down, but you raise up and shake it off. She lived by what she always told us, and I will try to do the same. Don't drown in self-pity. Swish your feet a little, then get out."
Selena Roberts' s "Point After" article on professional golfer Notah Begay was also instructive. Begay has become an advocate for impoverished Native Americans. Roberts observed, "Before Obama made personal accountability more hip, Begay understood the math of circumstance." His nonprofit Notah Begay III Foundation is promoting an economic stimulus package that would provide Indian reservations with increased revenue streams and new infrastructure. Begay observed, "I realize I can't change everything for everybody. But whether you're rich or poor, you have 24 hours in a day. That's your resource. As a athlete, you ask yourself, What do you do with it?"
Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Ephesians 5:15-16 seems to sum up these two stories succinctly: "So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!"
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