Hall of Fame and Heroes

Last week I wrote about Roger Staubach and visiting the NFL Hall of Fame.  The event was amazing, and I felt like a kid again walking through the museum.

As I mentioned I grew up a Steelers fan and was eight years old again when I saw the bust of Mean Joe Greene.  How I wanted to share a Coke with him and see if he’d toss me a jersey.

But I wasn’t truly happy until I found the bust of this guy.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990, #58 Jack Lambert.  This guy was a beast and by far and away my favorite player.  My hero.

And then I heard Kyle Carpenter speak. A US Marine, Kyle was born in 1989, but considers November 21, 2010, to be his “alive day.” That’s the day he threw himself on a grenade while standing post in Afghanistan.

The act itself was heroic.  What really struck me was the humility he exhibited while talking about it.  The determination it took for him to survive countless surgeries, to relearn basic skills like holding a spoon.  Truly heroic.  The things this young man has accomplished in the last eight years amazed me.

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This is not going where you think it’s going.  This is not a post about taking a knee or respecting the military. This is a post about living your life.

“I knew what I wanted to do, and playing in the National Football League was it. So I really concentrated. I was all football, 24 hours a day.” -Jack Lambert, Hall of Fame Induction Speech

This is about living your life to the fullest.  Finding a purpose and pursuing that purpose with everything you have. And when you get knocked down, you don’t quit.  You get up a little wiser, a little stronger, and you move forward.

“I want my story to help others see what’s extraordinary in themselves; to see how small acts of gratitude and kindness can change the world around them, and how we can all be part of something bigger than ourselves.” -Kyle Carpenter

Didn’t do well on the test?  Okay.  So now what are you going to do?

Didn’t make the team?  Okay.  So now what are you going to do?

Lost the job? Okay, so now what are you going to do?

Life is hard, but this life is the only one you have.

Live it with passion, compassion, and gratitude.  Live it fully.  It’s the only one you have.

Peace.