Sports - Higher Authority

Mikayla and I in the hospital watching the NFL Draft.

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   One of my favorite shows to watch with Mikayla and Heather is the show ESPN E:60.  If you have never seen the show, a group of ESPN sports reporters gets together and share some 10-15 minute short films about stories around the sports world.  Sometimes the short films are about NFL, MLB or NBA stars and their lives off the playing field/court, and other times they are just inspiring stories about everyday people who have had a special connection with sports in their lives.  These are usually the stories I most connect with, and often times they have stories about a child with special needs who has inspired others with his/her story.  This is one of the reasons I connect with the show so much.  I remember watching the ESPN E:60's before we had Mikayla, and it is amazing how I watch the shows with such a different lens now.  Whenever they would share a story of a child with special needs with their parent, I remember watching the show and wondering how difficult it must be to take care of that child full time.  It seemed to be a burden to them, but what made their stories inspiring was how they came through it all together with a positive attitude.  I must say things are different for me now as I watch these shows.  I now connect on a deep personal level with these people, and can understand more fully just where they are coming from.  These stories are no longer just a show for entertainment, but accurately represent my reality now.  One such story on ESPN E:60 was Davan Overton who actually has a Dandy Walker Variant, which is a form of what Mikayla has.  Watching this story was honestly pretty difficult to watch at times.  Many parts of the piece are pretty low and difficult to witness, but the ending gives you that hope that sometimes you just need to keep you going.  I don't want to give away too much of the story if you haven't seen it.  I recommend you watch it if you haven't seen it before, and here is the link to the story: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9898489.

     I am a big sports fan myself, and I have always been connected to them as a way to enrich our lives.  Sports represent the struggles & successes of real life, and the work and determination it takes to achieve a goal.  Mikayla will always be different like Davan, but that doesn't mean she can't live a life inspiring to others like Davan does.  She has already make me a better person, I guarantee you that.  It is my hope that Mikayla will live a full life in whatever that looks like to her.
     Last month we had the opportunity to visit my nephew Robert who lives in New York City.  He is a rambunctious 2-year-old who is full of life.  He is in love with sports, especially basketball.  The kid can dunk on his Fisher-Price basketball net, let me tell you.  One of the activities we did that weekend was head to the Jewish Community Center for his sports class.  In this class we got to see Robert and all his little friends run around the gym and try all different kinds of sports and activities.  At the end they played this fun game where they all ran around a circle of cones while the music played, and they would all stop when the music stopped.  Even the parents would join in, and the kids absolutely loved it.  I remember sitting there in their gym with a tear running down my cheek and my arm around Heather just praying: "Lord, I accept Mikayla the way you made her to the best of my ability.  However, if it is in your plans Lord I would love to run around in a circle with her someday." I am not sure if my prayer will be answered in this life or the next, but what a great reminder to enjoy the blessings we have and celebrate the small victories God gives us in this life.  So I will keep playing and watching sports with my baby girl, and if she is the little "Daddy's girl" I think she is, I know she will be a fan of sports as well in her own way.

Mikayla holding her football.