Thanks for Supporting my Monday Night Habit

It’s that time of year again. The annual Fair has left town and I am reminded of an important anniversary. I penned my first column six years ago as the last bolt in the giant ferris wheel was being packed away into the moving truck. That’s around 312 columns or so. When I started, I honestly believed I had enough material in me for maybe ten to twelve weeks worth of columns. Yet somehow, I have continued to tap letters on the keyboard one night per week, usually Monday night while most men are watching the big football game. I made a commitment to myself a number of years ago during what some might refer to as an early mid-life crisis. I vowed to take whatever humble gifts God had given me and put them to use. I decided not to waft through life, merely passing the hours in a day instead of filling them. And so I write columns each week. Oh, I realize they’re largely amateurish. But I do know they’re from the heart. And I’m certain you’ve noticed I butcher proper English grammar regularly. All I can tell you is that my 9th grade English teacher tells me she likes to read my stuff. That’s good enough for me. Someone recently told me I was completely different than what they expected me to be. This person was referring to the fact that I am a college baseball coach by profession. I wasn’t sure he meant it as a compliment until he explained that he had expected me to be a jerk. Thanks, (I think). Fitting the mold as a coach, writer, and person has never been a goal of mine. And so, every once in a while in these columns, I make it my habit to bask in the sunshine that glows outside the darkness of the dreary “box” that attempts to confine me. Perhaps I am too politically correct because my columns rarely rock the boat or address controversies. Why don’t you take a stand on the major issues of the day, you may rightfully ask. Quite simply, that’s not my calling. Those belong on the Op-Ed page. I’ve come to believe my calling on this page is to bring an occasional smile to the face, laugh to the belly, lump to the throat, or moisture to the eye. I can’t claim to do it successfully, but my intent is to inspire, encourage, and challenge those who dare to read my ramblings. And every once in a while, someone somewhere will say something I need to hear at that very moment to keep me going. Like the woman who said she reads my column second thing on Sunday, just after Billy Graham’s column- one I will gladly play second fiddle to. Or the elementary school boy who shouted, “Hey, JT’s Dad, I saw you in the paper the other day!” When I asked if he liked my column, he said, “Oh, I didn’t read what you wrote, I just checked out your picture.” So onward I go. Maybe I have 312 more columns in me- maybe I’m down to my last ten or twelve. Only God knows. But in the meantime, thank you for allowing me to spend a small portion of your Sunday with you. God bless.