Many Paths

Overheard at a bar: "It's not the coach or the players who are the problem with the Cowboys.  It's the owner who thinks he's some kinda special player and coach."  "That's right.  Get him off the field and out of the coach's box.  His glory days are behind him."  "Besides, he ain't no Frank Broyles!"  "Yeah, give him a gold watch and let him ride off into the sunset like in the old movies."  "Anyone wanna help pitch in and buy the team to save it before it goes under?"  "Maybe Roger Staubach or Emmett Smith got kids that're any good at football?"

Millions of people starving to death everyday and here I and millions of other armchair quarterbacks are wondering what's happening to some of the great NFL teams of bygone days.

Change is good.  Kids buy jerseys of their new heroes, putting the old ones in closets or up for sale to kids-turned-into-grownup memorabilia collectors.

Have you ever made a wish?

Have you ever made a wish come true?

I remind myself I am nobody special.  I just look, see, and observe through these meandering word trails.  Many paths, one destination.  Others have one path and multiple destinations.  Some one and one.  Others...well, unknown.

I am privileged to know people smarter and more dedicated to a single project than I ever will be.

It's not all about money, prestige, the right schools, flawless images.  But it can be.

It's not all about self-sacrifice, scraping by, sleepless nights, devastating setbacks.  But it is, sometimes.

Our socioeconomic system is built on the fact that one person makes a difference.

What about impact?

How many people switch to a tire store because they saw Brenda Conville saying Topline Tires is her kind of place to spend her money?

How many people look at a calendar of pretty pictures of birds and consider the patience and good fortune that the photographer brought to the moments the camera clicked?

I asked these exact questions yesterday while Obama began his visit to India, the Colts were losing, and a bartender served Cornerstone Cellars wine at Elfo's to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation, coordinated by Liz Larkin, Mid-South Chapter President and CEO.

Elfo's provided hors d'oeuvres.  Dr. David Sloas, a local "personality" known for his unquestionable medical professionalism and brain full of obscure facts, provided a calendar of 12 bird photographs to help raise money for children whose lives are often far from normal.

While David autographed calendars, he described the moments leading up to some of the photographs:

• A perched hawk that gave David 30 minutes to approach in the fading light of day just as the sky turned that golden-pink we know so well before the dusty grays of dusk settle in.
• A curious owl that flew in to hear an MP3 owl call.
• The one and only scarlet tanager that appeared in David's life, he lucky to have his camera to record the plumage in the foliage.

For some shots, David created blinds where he could sit and wait for the right bird to come along to the feeding station he set up for the occasion.

But as David said, it's not about him, it's about the kids.  His calendar is the humble messenger of hope for children and their parents, where Hope is a giant billboard offering happy interludes when a child's lifelong dream can come true.

Prayers, dreams and hope helping wishes become reality.

We bought five calendars to support Make-A-Wish and should buy many more, having one colleague of ours, whose son's life was uncertain (brain cancer the cause), leaning on Make-A-Wish to give her son the trip to Disney World he always wanted.

We think we know that the path we've chosen goes on forever.  It doesn't.  Seven billion lives means seven billion different choices in the moment.  Make a little room in your life to support those whose paths may very likely make abrupt turns.

And remember the old adage that it isn't always about the wins and losses.  Do you know all the charitable activities that occupy the lives of NFL owners and players when they're off the field?  When the game's not being played, give a little room for professionals in any occupation to be people, too.  We all face emotional highs and lows.  Sometimes it shows on the field.

However, help a child laugh and smile and watch the worries of the world fade away.

What would you do if all a child wanted to see was your team win?  Would you put the squabbling aside, telling the owner to get behind you while you lead your team to victory despite nagging injuries, family problems and financial worries that weigh heavily on your mind when you're off the field?  All this while the press is calling you a has-been third-stringer who should be benched?

It's never too late to be a child's hero.  Sometimes, snapping photographs and buying calendars is simply what it takes.