Maybe it is just getting older... But I am finding I wake up in the middle of the night a lot more frequently these days... And with all kinds of stuff on my mind when I do... Sometimes it is about work... Sometimes it is about my parents... Or my sisters & their families... And a lot of the times, yeah, it is a concern / worry / hurt for one of my kids and/or Venssa... Last night was one of those nights... And while I will be the first to admit I went to bed really struggling with some non-sense and bullshit going on right now - that really wasnt what woke me up around 4 this morn... It was something else... Something I live with - and always will... And why it jumped into my head this morning in particular is just a little uncanny, too... Because I was truly unaware todays date - and/or any significance tied to the date - until in the early morning darkness I got to digging around and looking back at the thing that woke me up... On this very date - 5 years ago - an event occurred... One of those kind of events, much like a first kiss or a wedding or the birth of a child, that touches the very depths of your soul... And as I mentioned, one that brands its mark on you & lives with you forever... Some of you reading this - Mike Clark, Anne Thompson Barnett - were there & will probably recall this day as well... I wrote a blog about this event 5 years ago this very day, too... And I am going to re-post it below... Im sorry, I know it is rather lengthy - but I hope you will find it worth the read... Love you, Reid... I am so very proud of you, son... Dad ========================================================= And the World stood still... Just as many of us navigate our way each and every day down the streets and highways that connect our homes and businesses, we also tend to weave in and out of the busy-ness of our lives... For many of us, we zig and we zag throughout our hectic days as we attempt to meet numerous deadlines - and/or as we rush to get to various places on time - and/or as we rush out the door at 5 PM to head home and begin our 2nd jobs of starting dinner, doing the laundry, trying to help Johnny or Susie with math problems we ourselves thought we would never see again once we left high school or college, etc, etc... And somewhere between 10 PM and 2 AM on many nights, we finally fall apart - only to hop up at 5-6 AM the next morning to jump back on our roller coaster again... That is, until life hits the emergency brake on our roller coaster... And forces our us - and our busy little worlds - to stand still... As I posted a few days ago, this past weekend we were practicing getting ready for the Jack Daniels BBQ World Championship by cooking for our 12 year old sons football team and their families following their big game on Saturday afternoon... Upwards of 100 people maybe... Not really a big deal, as I on occasion have certainly cooked for bigger crowds... Our son, Reid, is perhaps his Dads biggest BBQ fan - and he had been bugging us to cook for his new team/friends since early August... I must admit that while I felt I would get just a little bit of practicing in as I cooked for his team this weekend, I also saw this practice as more of an inconvenience... Just another addition to my hectic list of things to do that was already long and growing... I must also admit that I have been just a little too busy as of late to see what I and/or this event actually meant in the eyes of my son... It was just another challenge that I needed to deftly weave in and out of as I negotiated the rush hour traffic in my life right now... So there were pork butts to cook and pull... Invitations and maps to print and distribute... Canopies and tables to set-up... Drinks to ice down... Numerous last minute trips to the grocery store to pick up this or that which we had forgotten on earlier trips... And despite the fact that we had begun this whole process on Monday of this past week - in a well-planned attempt to not be rushed at the last minute - we inevitably found ourselves still scurrying about like lab rats on Saturday morning as we were attempting to wrap things up before making the 30 mile drive to Oakley, UT, for the football game... And it probably should not come as a surprise when I relate that my wife and our 14 year old son ended up staying behind to finish up the final touches for the party as I rushed to get Reid (and his sister) to his mandatory pre-game warm-up activities on time... I also confess that I found myself grumbling as we sped to his game... Why couldnt we have done this another time... I have so many other things I truly need to be doing right now... Grumble, grumble, grumble... Oakley is a quaint, rural community that is surrounded by mountains in the not-so-far distance... The skies on Saturday morning were crystal blue... The temperature was cool & crisp... The fields were green and manicured... The maples and quakies were beginning to turn brilliant reds and oranges and yellows on the mountainsides... Families and friends were out in force to support their young warriors... As I scanned the playing and practice fields, the numerous teams present proudly sported every color an eager child might have hoped to have found in a new box of Crayons... It was simply a gorgeous, colorful day for football - and in a most beautiful setting to watch/play... Norman Rockwall would have been very busy - and very happy - capturing this scene himself... This is our sons first year to play football... And after 8 weeks of practice and hard work, Reid had come home late this past week to proudly announce that he had earned a starting position on defense... Cornerback... Mind you, at 12 years of age, our son weighs maybe 95 pounds sopping wet - so he is definitely on the smaller end of the spectrum for his age group... But Reid has also always shown a lot of natural athletic ability/potential - and heart - in any sport he has ever participated in... So while we were elated at the news he announced to us on Thursday after practice, we were not totally surprised, either... The game kicked off, and from the git-go it was evident that this was going to be a hard fought battle... Both teams were hitting hard, and both offenses were struggling to get anything going... At this age level, most offenses generally center around a running attack... Passing/receiving skills just havent developed as yet - and when teams at this age level do pass, well - it is mostly Hail Mary in nature... Both teams were going back and forth, and without a lot of offensive success... My wife and I were also busy trading cell phone calls back and forth regarding last minute details for the dinner immediately following the game... In all honesty, I was paying less attention than usual to the game... Early in the 2nd quarter, just as I had just gotten off the phone for the upteenth time, I happened to look up just in time to note that the opposing team had the ball and was running a sweep to the left side... I frantically looked through the maze of bodies - and there was Reid, right was he was supposed to be... Now - Reid was playing cornerback on the weak side - so plays normally dont come his way all that often... But here they were, rumbling towards him... Reid deflected the offensive blocker assigned to take him out of the play - only to now find himself face to face with a runner coming at him full speed... The running back was definitely bigger than Reid, and was coming at our son like a locomotive... Reid recovered from pushing away the blocker - had just enough time to square himself up - and courageously held his ground and hit this Goliath right in the numbers as his opponent charged full speed at him... There was a sharp crack of the pads that was easily heard all the way across the field where I stood as I cheered my son. Reid was not able to totally stop the runner due to the runners momentum (Reid didnt have any time to begin any momentum towards the runner before they collided) - but he slowed him and held on to him long enough that other team members were quickly there to finish the tackle. As I watched Reid following the play, it was quite evident that his bell had been rung... He went from being flat on the ground to getting up on all fours for a few moments... And then he slowly stood up... I am certain I must have exhaled a sigh of relief, although I dont really remember now... But after a step or two, he slumped back to the ground - and then he was flat on his back again... The zebras quickly noticed the situation and ran over to check on Reid - only to quickly summon over an unknown man from the sideline... Then an unknown woman was summoned from the sideline as well.... After just a few moments of looking at and talking to Reid, these strangers were quickly and somewhat frantically looking around, and soon motioning to our sons head coach to come over... All I could see between the bodies that were beginning to congregate around my son was that they were being quite careful with things in Reids head and neck region... My world suddenly stood still... Quite still... My mind and heart began to race... Do I stand here on the sidelines? Do I rush out onto the field? Do I call home? What would I say? Flashbacks of similar scenes from football games I have seen in person or on TV over the years flooded my scrambled thinking... Then I notice the head coach jogging over to our sideline.... Right towards me... Reid is still not moving... I remember feeling my entire body going numb... I really dont remember exactly what Coach Mike told me... Something about Reids neck, something about his left arm.... Something about Reids arms and legs initially going numb, but him now at least being able to move his fingers & toes... But also something about Reid saying he still didnt have any feeling in his neck... Something about a lot of pain when he tired to move his head... Something about summoning emergency medical help... He jogged back out to where my son lay... I then see a fellow parent who I know - Randy Barnett, who is a surgeon - coming out onto the field and briefly examining Reid... Coach Mike and Randy exchange a few quick words... Then Coach Mike waves to me to come out onto the field... When I arrived at Reids side, the tears and pain I saw in his eyes wanted to break me, too... There are roles that we as men and fathers are to assume at times like these... Roles of strength - and courage - and confidence/reassurance that everything will be alright... But I will also share that it was all that I could do to not to let my own fears overwhelm me at that moment... Nor to let my own eyes fill with tears, also... As I kneeled next to my son on the field and held his right hand, my mouth and words were trying to keep him calm and assure him that things were going to be okay... At the same time, I could feel my heart and soul bursting with prayer just as hard and fast as they could go... When Reid wasnt trying to be tough and brave in light of the pain he was experiencing, you know what his biggest concern was? That I had spent my last couple of nights doing a lot of cooking just for him and his friends on the team - and how his teammates now might not get to come over that day to enjoy his Dads championship BBQ following the game!! Here I am, trying with all my might to hold back a flood of fears and tears for my son - and here is Reid, worrying about a couple of long nights I had recently spent cooking for him and his buddies - and whether or not he might be able to show-off his Dads BBQ to his friends... It felt like at least a century passed while we awaited for the EMS personnel to arrive... And the trip back to the new hospital in Park City - maybe 30 miles away - seemed to go on and on forever like a stretch of road in the middle of West Texas... Fortunately, this new state-of-the-art hospital opened just this past week - otherwise it would have been a 60+ mile trip back to Salt Lake City... Which at that moment in time in our lives would surely have seemed like a trip to Mars... Being that the hospital is brand new - and not exactly running over with business as yet - we received the red carpet treatment to say the least... And what a blessing that was... Other than a delayed response from the radiologist on duty that afternoon, Reid received prompt attention and wonderful care from everyone there... It was like they had been rehearsing and preparing for this very moment all for their lives... About 3 hours after we arrived at the hospital, Reids pain & numbness in the neck region had begun to significantly subside, the x-rays taken showed no broken bones/vertebrae - and Reid was able to walk out of the hospital wearing only a soft neck brace. Talk about your answered prayers... Since getting home last night, we have had an outpouring of phone calls from coaches, teammates and their families, close friends, and family regarding Reids condition... The president of our youth football district, Dan Garcia, also showed up about an hour after we arrived at the hospital - and stayed with us for well over 2 hours until we received the good news that the x-rays were negative and that they were going to let Reid go home... Definitely not your standard/obligatory 15-20 minute visit to wish a speedy recovery to some kid and his family that he did not know from Adam before that afternoon... When I awoke on Sunday morning and gazed out our bedroom window, the skies seemed just a little more blue... The maples and quakies in view were just a little more red and orange and yellow than I had remembered from the day before... And as is generally the case when our world stands still, I am a much different person today than I was yesterday... I am so very thankful for the blessings God poured out on our son and our family yesterday... And its kind of funny... While in the midst of all that I thought was so very important leading into the events of yesterday, I received an award from those happy blue eyes of my son as he lay motionless on that field - a trophy that even a Grand Championship at the Jack will never even come close to equaling... In case there are any other competition BBQ teams out there reading this, I hate to tell you this... But I have already won the Jack... And I have also won any other contest I will ever cook at again in my life... Thats right... I am already the Grand Champion if I ever happen to cook against you... Hows that you say? Because my judges are my children - my wife - my friends... I am their Grand Champion... And there will never ever be anything any more important to me... Until this past Saturday afternoon, I dont know if I had truly taken the time as of late to stop and fully realize/appreciate this... I almost missed one of the most important walks to the award stage in my entire life... But thanks to a most wonderful Father in Heaven, I didnt... I am truly blessed, folks... And so are you... (Our many, many thanks to the unknown EMT guy and the nurse who just happened to be on the sidelines and first arrived on the field to attend to our son... To Reids wonderful Judge Bulldog coaches - Mike Clark, Jesse Eskelson, Bob Pelley and Spence McKean - who have done such a beautiful job of coaching Reid so far this year, and were there for our son when it really counted on Saturday... To Dr. Randy Barnett... To Dan Garcia, Judge District president... To whoever provided that pink blanket to keep my son warm and dry while he lay helpless on the ground... To the entire ER staff at the new IHC hospital in Park City... And to Reids teammates and their families, and to so many of our family friends, who have called/emailed / held our son in their prayers... Again, we are so very blessed because of ALL of you!!) Drs. Michael & Venssa Knight Dylan, Reid & Caleigh
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 14:32:10 +0000
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