CAN YOU THINK OF SOMEONE WHO ENCOURAGED YOU?  MAYBE A FAMILY MEMBER, A FRIEND, A NEIGHBOR,  A TEACHER, A COACH, OR A PASTOR.  A MEANINGFUL & TIMELY WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT HELPS TO BUILD US UP TO FACE ANY CHALLENGE IN FRONT OF US. 

HERE ARE THREE EXAMPLES FROM THREE AMAZING GUYS (HEROES) WHO SPOKE POSITIVE WORDS INTO MY LIFE.   EACH ONE GAVE ME HOPE TO FINISH WHAT I STARTED.  ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, MY BEST MAN, STEVE;  MY FAVORITE TRACK COACH,  MR. WALTON; AND MY NEIGHBOR MR. BARTH .   I AM GRATEFUL TO EACH ONE OF YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO BUILD IN ME CONFIDENCE THAT I COULD DO ANYTHING OR TAKE ON ANY TASK IN FRONT OF ME.   YOU GUYS ARE MY HEROES!!  THANK YOU.

1.   IT HAPPENED IN THE SUMMER AT OUR LOCAL CITY POOL CALLED TACOMA.  YOU COULD FIND ME THERE FROM 9AM TO 8PM, DIVING OFF THE SPRING BOARDS.  THE MEMORIES OF THE POOL ARE STILL FRESH IN MY MIND.     I ARRIVED AT THE POOL VERY EARLY ONE MORNING BECAUSE I WANTED TO TRY A DIVE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN COMPLETED FROM THE HIGH DIVING BOARD.  MY BUDDY STEVE WAS AT THE CHECK IN GATE AND KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO TRY TO PERFORM A TRIPLE FROM THE HIGH DIVE.  STEVE MADE A COMMENT: “YOU GOT IT”, AS I WALKED BY HIM.  THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT STAYED IN MY MIND AS I WALKED THE LENGTH OF THE POOL, AND BEGAN TO  APPROACH THE LADDER OF THE HIGH DIVING BOARD.  I REMEMBER STEPPING ONTO THE BOARD (ALL 5’4″, 120 POUNDS OF ME) VERY NERVOUS OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE AIR, OR MY THIN LITTLE BODY SLAPPING THE WATER AS I LAND.  THERE WERE NO LIFE GUARDS ON DUTY THAT EARLY AND THE WATER LOOKED FLAT AS A PANCAKE, WHICH WOULD REALLY STING, SHOULD I FAIL IN ATTEMPTING THE DIVE.   STILL FRIGHTENED, I REPEATED TO MYSELF, WHAT STEVE HAD JUST SAID MOMENTS BEFORE;  “YOU GOT IT”, THEN  I LOOKED OVER TO STEVE FOR REASSURANCE AND SAW HIS HAND HAD A THUMBS UP. FROM THAT MOMENT,  I DIDN’T HESITATE TO TRY THE THREE FLIPS.  I COMPLETED THE TRIPLE, LANDED IN THE WATER, AND WAS HAPPY AS A YOUNG DIVER COULD BE.  I GOT OUT OF THE POOL AND WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO STEVE  FOR GIVING ME THE COURAGE  THAT MORNING.  AS I GOT CLOSER TO MY FRIEND, HIS HAND WAS ABOVE HIS HEAD AND WE GAVE EACH OTHER A HIGH FIVE.    I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT MORNING.  I THANK GOD THAT HE HAND SELECTED STEVE TO BE THE INSPIRATION THAT I NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO DO THREE FLIPS (A TRIPLE) INSTEAD OF TWO FLIPS (A DOUBLE).  STEVE, THAT SUCCESS, I OWE TO YOU.

2.  IT WAS MY JUNIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL.  A NEW COACH ARRIVED IN DAYTON NAMED  MR. WALTON.  THE MOMENT HE BECAME MY TRACK COACH, LIFE GOT TOUGHER FOR ME.  MY TRACK SCHEDULE CONSISTED OF CHANGING CLOTHES, THEN WALKING UP TO DAVIS FIELD (OUR FOOTBALL STADIUM) PARKING LOT WHERE I ENJOYED POLE VAULTING.  COACH WALTON WOULD SOON CHANGE “TIMMY’S ROUTINE”.  COACH TOLD ME TO JOIN THE SPRINTERS TO RUN 50 YARDS.  I WILL NEVER FORGET SPRINTING BESIDE MY FRIEND’S STEVE & DENNY WHO DID THIS EVERYDAY AFTER SCHOOL.  THE SPRINTERS HAD TO SPRINT 50 YARDS, AND THEN WALK BACK 50 YARDS HOLDING THEIR HANDS ABOVE THEIR HEADS TO CATCH THEIR BREATH ONLY TO ARRIVE AT THE STARTING POINT TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. (DO YOU SEE MY MISERY HERE).  THIS DRILL LASTED FOR WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN HOUR.  I REMEMBER MY FIRST SPRINT AND COMPLAINED TO THE COACH, THAT I AM NOT A SPRINTER.  THE COACH GRINNED AND REPLIED; “TIMMY, YOU CAN DO IT”.   EVERYDAY, WHETHER INSIDE THE SCHOOL OR OUTSIDE AT PRACTICE,  COACH WALTON WOULD SAY “TIMMY, YOU CAN DO IT”.  I DIDN’T REALIZE HE HAD A PLAN FOR ME AND BELIEVED IN ME.  HE SAW IN ME THE ABILITY THAT I COULD NOT SEE.    COACH KNEW BECAUSE OF MY SMALL FRAME (MUSCLES) I COULD NOT BEND THE POLE AS I VAULTED, SO, HIS PLAN FOR ME WAS TO HOLD THE VERY END OF MY POLE AND HOLD ON WHEN I PLANTED THE POLE INTO THE GROUND.   THE REASON BEHIND THE SPRINTING, WAS TO INCREASE MY SPEED ON THE APPROACH DURING THE POLE VAULT.   COACH WALTON KNEW THIS WOULD INCREASE THE HEIGHT IT WOULD CARRY ME TO.  HIS TRAINING METHODS FOR ME THAT YEAR TURNED OUT TO BENEFIT MY GOD GIVEN ABILITY TO POLE VAULT AS I FINISHED NUMBER ONE AT STATE.   I REMEMBER ON MY FINAL ATTEMPT OF GOING OVER THE CROSSBAR, I COULD HEAR THE ENCOURAGING WORDS THAT TOUCHED MY HEART THAT DAY FROM THE COACH’S WIFE AS SHE CAME RUNNING ACROSS THE FIELD SAYING “THAT’S MY SON!”.  THANK YOU MRS. WALTON FOR ALL YOUR KIND WORDS AND EVEN BELIEVING THAT I SHOULD GO TO “TUMBLING COLLEGE AFTER GRADUATION”.  COACH WALTON, THE BEST COACH THAT GOD COULD GIVE ME AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE WHO WOULD TURN ME INTO A WINNER. YOU GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF.  COACH, YOU EVEN BELIEVED THAT I COULD WIN EVERY FIELD EVENT: LONG JUMP, TRIPLE JUMP, AND THE HIGH JUMP.  I AM SO PROUD TO HAVE BEEN UNDER YOUR INSTRUCTION AND FOR THE MANY TIMES I HEARD THESE WORDS: “TIMMY, YOU CAN DO IT”.  GOD BLESS YOU, COACH.

3.   I HAD THE NICEST NEIGHBOR YOU COULD HAVE IN THIS LIFE.  HIS NAME WAS MR. BARTH.  HE DIDN’T SPEAK LOUD, HE HAD A SOFT VOICE,  AND I REMEMBER ALMOST EVERYDAY, ESPECIALLY THROUGH MY HIGH SCHOOL YEARS, HE WOULD TELL ME HOW PROUD OF ME THAT HE WAS IN ALL MY ATHLETIC ENDEAVORS.   WHEN MR. BARTH HAD A TALK WITH YOU, THE WORDS HE SPOKE ALWAYS EDIFIED THE RECEIVER OF THE CONVERSATION.    I WAS MR. BARTH’S MODERN DAY “SPIDER MAN” FROM 1968 THROUGH 1976.  FOR EVERY TIME HE WOULD SEE ME, IT WOULD BE JUMPING OVER HIS FENCE, VAULTING OVER HIS HEDGES IN THE BACKYARD OR FLIPPING OFF AN 8 FOOT WALL AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES NEXT TO WHERE HE WOULD STAND.   MR. BARTH, THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME THAT I WAS “SPECIAL”, AND ALWAYS CONGRATULATING ME UPON READING YOUR PAPER AND SEEING THAT I WON FIRST PLACE IN THE POLE VAULTING COMPETITIONS.   I WAS A HYPER KID AND MR. BARTH CHOSE TO CALM ME DOWN BY TALKING WITH ME.  YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT MEANT A LOT TO ME AT MY AGE.    I KNOW THAT I WILL SEE YOU IN HEAVEN WHERE YOU WILL SAY TO ME: “CONGRATULATIONS TIM, HOW HIGH DID YOU JUMP THIS TIME TO GET HERE?”  I LOVE YOU, MR. BARTH.

BE A HERO TODAY.  TAKE TIME, AND HELP SOMEONE WITH YOUR WORDS!!