A Sports Mom Remembered

On Sunday morning I got a call from my sister that our friend, Emily Lighty, had gone home to be with the Lord.  My heart was heavy from  the loss of a dear friend and fellow sports mom.

I had the pleasure of meeting Emily two years ago.  She and my sister are dear friends.  I am always excited to meet a sports mom but I didn't realize what a treat I was in for when I met Emily. We met at Legacy Village at Brio Restaurant in Cleveland. We were both Ohio State sports moms and shared a love for the Lord and our Buckeyes.  Emily was bubbling over with excitement about getting approval to have the team come to her church to enjoy a meal while they were in Cleveland for a big game.  She and her mom, Nellie cooked an incredible meal and wanted to make sure that the team could have some private time with family just to exhale and bond.  Her eyes lit up with love and  excitement as she talked about watching David progress as a player and the joy she had in cheering the team on.  She continued to stay close to the Buckeyes even after David graduated.

I was so elated after meeting Emily and looked forward to the day when we could come together as sports moms to collaborate on events to help sports moms help their children.  She had been on my mind for months so I was delighted to see her name displayed on my ringing cell phone two weeks ago.  When I answered, it wasn't Emily, but her mom, Nellie, to let me know she was not doing well and that her cancer had spread.  I cannot tell you just how sad I felt at that moment.  Two weeks later, I got the call from my sister, letting me know that Emily was with the Lord.

My heart goes out to David, Nellie and the rest of the family and friends who loved Emily.  She may be gone but the memories she leaves behind will warm the lives she touched for years to come. I am committed to continuing the journey of sports moms supporting other sports moms and their children in her honor.

Rest in peace Emily!

DJ

Train up a Child

Everywhere I look I hear someone hating on Tim Tebow!  Every week I am reading a commentary or listening to a sports announcer musing about how “over the top” Tebow is with his faith and why he should tone down his message and just play ball.  We live in a world where negativity is always front page news while the special interest story may not even make the news at all.

People who really know me know that I am not a Gator fan (I am mean, SERIOUSLY—They are the team that robbed my Buckeyes and my child of the National Championship Title in 2006) and I am not a Broncos fan (that same child went on to play for the Raiders-Need I say more?).  What I am is a mom and a child of God who is thrilled that there is a player out there whose walk matches his talk.  I am not talking about the player who gets down on one knee after a big play and then is arrested for a DUI after the game. Nor am I talking about the person who thanks God for his victory and then is ranting and cussing on Facebook (sometimes this happens on the same post).

Tim Tebow grew up in a Christian home where it was common to give back to the community, go on mission trips and do the right thing.  I am not saying that Tebow is a saint, but it sure is refreshing to see a child who was trained well and hasn’t forgotten what he has learned.  That is a parent’s dream.  It seems to be paying off in his first season as a Bronco.  Every week someone tells me that Tebow is just not that good and then has to eat their words when the Broncos win again.  I believe that living right has its rewards. 

We are living in an era where it is hard to find role models in high profile places. Thank you Tebow for not being ashamed of who you believe in and for his parents who seemed to have done a great job training up this young man.