The Fathers Eyes
This
teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had
a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on
the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never
missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class
when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage
him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football
if he didn’t want to. But the young man loved football and
decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at
every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became
a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor
a game,but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful
father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement
for him.
When the young man went to college, he decided
to try out for the football team as a “walk-on.” Everyone
was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted
that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart
and soul to every practice, and at the same time, provided the
other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled
him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his
father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets
for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never
missed practice during his four years at college, but he never
got to play in the game.
It was the end of his senior football season,
and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big
play off game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man
read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard,
he mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning. Is
it all right if I miss practice today?” The coach put his
arm gently around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest
of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to
the game on Saturday.
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going
well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind,
a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room
and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the
coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate
back so soon. “Coach, please let me play. I’ve just
got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended
not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in
this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally
feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. “All right,”
he said. “You can go in.”
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone
in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown,
who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing
team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled
like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied.
In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass
and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke
loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering
you’ve never heard!
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the
team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed
that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone.
The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can’t believe
it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you
do it?”
He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes,
and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know
that my dad was blind?” The young man swallowed hard and
forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was
the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him
I could do it!”
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