On Friday the weather turned spring-like just in time for our road trip to Champaign to play (and beat) Central High School. Breaks from the 20 degree chill are extra-valuable when whistling through corn fields on public school buses with drafty windows and floors.
The varsity game was incredible. Incredibly bad, in the sense of our turnover-plagued brick-laying attempts at offense throughout much of the game (our top 3-point gunners were 2-for-15 at one point). And incredibly fortunate, when...
... Central's late-game, potentially back-breaking pass under the basket to two wide open teammates went awry as the two teammates collided and the ball skittered harmlessly out of bounds
... A 3-point shot attempt of ours was blocked, landed in the hands of our center, who spun around and heaved in a shot off the backboard from 10 feet away to keep our slim hopes alive
... They missed a free throw that would have won the game with under 10 seconds left. As we hurried the ball up the court they could have stopped us with a foul but didn't. Our 2-for-10 shooter swished in a heavily guarded 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
... Central got defensively confused during the last 3 seconds of overtime, as we inbounded the ball near half court to that same shooter while down 2 points. He launched a turn-around, fade-away 30 foot shot that hit nothing but net.
Thanks, God. You might even have gained a convert or two from the ballistic crowd after that one.
It's a good time to sit down and do this weekly thankfulness post after a couple of barren weeks.
I'm finding an unhealthy, growing intensity of frustration with co-workers at all levels as I cling to control. It's what happens when I disillusion myself to believe that I always know the best path. When I trust God, I find peace. That tank of trust has been running on empty for too long, for no good reason except that a long string of good fortune has planted seeds of entitlement.
My friendships have been very supportive lately. Dena and I enjoyed a date night last weekend, and spent most of yesterday afternoon chilling in the living room watching T.V. and delighting over the power of forensic science to solve mysteries in a matter of minutes. I'm also fortunate to have a wife who is glad to have playoff football on the screen.
We both made it through the holiday calorie season in pretty good shape. My football injury has been unnoticeable for weeks. Neither of us has caught a cold since the leaves started falling.
Alabama - 3 championships in 4 years! A thing of beauty.
The sophomore basketball team's playing great defense and lost only one game so far. I feel like my mind's been sharper this year than last when it comes to analyzing the game on the run.
I was just asked to go to San Diego in October for business. Yes, sir! Somehow I have a feeling that there will be some pleasure on that trip too, of the lounge-chair variety.
The condo next door to us is empty, meaning that the carport associated with it is empty. Therefore, we have two carports this winter. The lack of windshield-scraping has been a major plus on frosty mornings.
Our lives are so free of family dysfunction. Generous, devoted people everywhere we look. It's a foundation for us that is easy to overlook but definitely shapes who we are.
This week is about filling up with warm thoughts of our future, and shrugging away the unexpected as harmlessly as a bad dream.
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