Can I ask you a personal question? Do you wake up every morning and start your day by counting your blessings and giving thanks for another day? Do you periodically make a list of the people in your life that you need to reach out to just to say your life is better because they have been a part of it?
Yeah, me neither. Even though I’m more or less retired and I’m trying to be more intentional and disciplined, I struggle to wake up grateful and to give thanks. But I’m trying to get better.
It’s so easy to forget the good things in life, big or small, that we too often take for granted. We seem to focus on the seemingly never ending “to do lists” and get caught up on mostly meaningless social media scrolling and binge-watching television programs. It’s especially easy as we get older and lose track of time, old friends, acquaintances and the dreams we have long since given up on. Life, as the saying goes, gets in the way.
This became so clear to me just recently as the State College and Penn State communities lost one of the all-time best people ever in Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli. It was a gut punch to many that he impacted over the years, not just as a surgeon (he repaired my wife’s torn Achilles tendon), but as an administrator, community leader and friend.
Later this week I will travel to Pittsburgh to deliver the eulogy for a good friend and one of my former Junior Penguins players, Tim Coleman, who also played briefly for me at Penn State. Tim’s daughter Shannon is also a Penn State grad and dates a former Penn State hockey player, Connor MacEachern, so the Penn State and hockey connections run deep. These are vivid reminders that tomorrow is not promised to any of us.
These recent events reminded me that putting into practice what I so often preach, having an “attitude of gratitude,” should be a lot higher on my personal priority list. It starts with thanking God first and foremost. Saying thank you and I love you to my wife, my kids, my parents, family and friends more often. Despite being retired I find myself constantly filling up my days with activities and projects such that I never seem to have the time to take a deep breath and remember to stop and smell the roses. Or, as someone who loves fresh fruit, to remember to “eat the heart of the watermelon,” as best-selling author and speaker Harvey Mackay says.
So, it’s time to put my money where my mouth is and to be better at honoring the past, celebrating the present, and going joyfully into the future.
This past week my wife and I travelled to Kershaw, South Carolina, where I was honored to be the guest speaker at the North Central High School All Sports Athletic Banquet. I worked with the football team last June at the FCA Football Camp held at the Citadel and formed a strong bond with the head coach and athletic director Daniel Sisk, as well as players Jackson Rodgers and Malik Jones.
I know a lot of people who think these types of events are boring and old fashioned. Why have banquets? Why have award ceremonies? To honor and celebrate achievements for sure. But far more important it is to recognize the bonds formed in meaningful and shared sacrifices and to acknowledge the relationships and the efforts that made the sport seasons possible. It’s so the coaches, staff, athletes and guests get to “eat the heart of the watermelon” together.
The next day we travelled to Nashville to participate in the 35th anniversary of the founding of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). Unfortunately, it conflicted with the annual Penn State Hockey golf outing, and I missed seeing former teammates and the guys who played for me. I missed being able to see my friend and former Hockey Club president extraordinaire Bill Proudman receive his well-deserved Distinguished Hockey Alumni Award.
Our stay started with an amazing afternoon full of God incidences at Black River Entertainment’s studios (owned by the Pegula Family) on Music Row in Downtown Nashville. Gordon Kerr (Kim Pegula’s brother) gave us the VIP tour, and we even got to watch them announce the signing of country and Christian singer Matt Stell (Check out his hit song “Prayed For You”). Heidi and I sat at country music legend Ronnie Milsap’s piano in the studio named for him. Gordon has a couple of Christian-themed books he has published as well. A blessed day to “eat the heart of the watermelon” with Gordon, EVP Rick Froio, VP of Artists and Repertoire Doug Johnson and the rest of the BRE crew!
The next day at the ACHA Awards Banquet they recognized my great friend and former West Virginia head coach Don Spencer. Getting to meet Don’s son and daughter, who were there to both assist him and celebrate him was priceless. With tears in my eyes I told them, “Your father has had such a positive influence on me as a coach, administrator, and most importantly as a friend!” It was so inspiring to see this 90-year-old former hockey coach, who struggled to get to the podium, speak with such conviction and clarity as he told the story of the founding of the ACHA and our original 48 member schools in two divisions. Today the organization boasts 565 teams in three men’s divisions and two women’s divisions!
Don was the Thomas Jefferson of those early years. While the rest of us were busy squabbling over details, he did most of the heavy lifting by crafting our bylaws and constitution. His background in nonprofits was priceless. I found Don to be one of the most reasonable and service-oriented human beings I ever met. A little-known fact is that Don was the first hockey goalie to wear a mask while playing at Hamilton College even pre-dating Montreal Canadiens goalie Jacque Plante. His alma mater fittingly won the NCAA D3 National Championship this past year. Current Hamilton head coach Rob Haberbusch has been a friend for years and used to work hockey camp for me at Penn State.
I also got to catch up with my longtime friend, former Penn State hockey coach, Nittany Hockey League player and State College resident Mo Stroemel. His passions in life have always been hockey and music, and he now makes his home in Nashville. I was able to see so many former colleagues and old friends at the banquet and it brought back so many great memories. Helping to get the ACHA started remains one of my career highlights as we helped to grow interest in the sport of hockey, and in particular college hockey. It was another time to “eat the heart of the watermelon.”
The last leg of our journey included a stop at Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I had no idea what to expect other than a lot of country music. Well, it was a pleasant surprise as the park was modern, clean, professionally operated and had a little bit of everything, including surprisingly fun rides even for us older thrill seekers who have a kid trapped inside. The Tennessee Tornado steel coaster and the good old-fashioned wooden coaster, Thunderhead, were a great memory for this guy who remembers his coaster days at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh and Hershey Park. For the record, my wife skipped the coasters and just rolled her eyes at me as I came out of the exit and exclaimed, “That was AWESOME!”
While I did enjoy my short trip down coaster memory lane, it was the live shows and exhibits that were what both my wife and I enjoyed the most. Especially memorable was “From The Heart – The Life and Music of Dolly Parton,” which included live musicians and singers (representing Dolly at various stages of her career) and a mix of actual footage and special effects.
I want to encourage you to reach out to loved ones and good friends you haven’t connected with in a while. Get out and celebrate life and take the time to “eat the heart of the watermelon.”
