This past weekend, my wife Maria and I attended the funeral of the former head football coach at Norcross High School. The service was held at his church in Milledgeville, Georgia. He retired from Gwinnett County Public Schools and moved to Lake Sinclair about 20 years ago.
Coach Raines and I reconnected after the passing of one of his sons not too long ago. It’s strange how life’s events push you in a direction you never would have imagined. Coach Raines always had a positive outlook on life because of his relationship with Jesus Christ. We both experienced the pain and grief of not seeing our loved ones on this side of the equation. But knowing the endgame — that we will be with our loved ones again — somehow lets us vent about our anger, frustration and emptiness every time.
I visited with people I had taught when they were high school students, and some of the coaches and parents who were friends of ours. I hadn’t seen these people in 40 years, and yet we recognized one another. In many ways, it felt like it was just yesterday that we had been together at Norcross HS.
How did we recognize each other by name within seconds? It was our eyes. It’s said that the eyes are the threshold of a person’s soul. I can say that the faces of those players, friends and coaches had a lot more wrinkles, and even a few scars, from life’s events. Our hair was whiter, grayer or thinner, and our waistlines were larger. But when I looked deep into their eyes, I could see the character, heart and soul of people I hadn’t seen in years.
Another thing I noticed, felt and heard was the stories from back in the day. We heard about Coach Raines from several of his ballplayers, friends and former coaches. As each story was told, it seemed that something was learned about life from it. One story was about a player who was not an exceptional student and, as a result, was on his way out of school. Coach Raines gave him one more chance. Coach set a high standard for this player in academics and athletics, and he rose to meet that standard. It was the only year that student athlete made honor roll in academics and played a major role in the winning season at Norcross HS.
Collectively, our bodies may be a little slower, our skin might be a little more wrinkled and our pant sizes may have increased from a 28-inch waist to a 38-inch waist. And our muscles may not be as toned, our hearing might not as sharp and bedtime now may be 10 p.m. Yet we are lucky to be here and get up for work the next day.
We are all moving toward the experience of living on the other side of the equation. In the meantime, what will never change is the love, respect and friendship of this group for this one life.
Do you have that kind of connection? If you do, are you nourishing and cherishing it? If you don’t, know that there are beautiful people in the world who may serve as a guiding light for you, just as Coach Raines did for so many. And you could be that person for someone else.
Live inspired,
Jimmy
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