"Any time you have the opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on earth." - Roberto Clemente
"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." - Andre 3000
For years, I have heard the saying that life is a game of choices, so choose wisely. The error in this quote is that no matter how wise we believe we are or how much we have grown, life finds a way to humble us. The past few weeks have been a difficult time for me both personally and professionally. I felt overwhelmed and did not know how to respond. But I have found out this, the only way to make things better is to get back off of the ground and get to work.
The two quotes I have put up for this blog post may have your head scratching, but they both intertwine beautifully together, so stay with me. I will first start off with the highly talented musician Andre 3000, yes you know him, from the hit song "Hey Ya!" But he and his Outkast members also had another song, where this lyric comes from and there is truth with that lyric. No matter how well laid out your plan is, life will ultimately come in and take over. It is the age old adversary for man, and that is the uncontrollable. So what do you do?
This leads to me to my other quote, the one by my all time favorite baseball player, Roberto Clemente. This quote sums up the man and the ballplayer. Clemente was known to be a ridiculously good baseball player. He was also a bonafide leader throughout his whole tenure as a Major Leaguer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But what he was also known for, was his work as a humanitarian. He was known to go on mission trips to help out less fortunate areas in South America. Clemente would actually pass away after hitting his 3,000th hit going to help his home country of Puerto Rico from a terrible natural disaster.
But what about that Clemente quote? Well the answer is this, we all have a purpose in life. Do we have a purpose? My whole life I have battled with this question, as have so many others. But I can now fully believe in that we all have a purpose on this Earth. Clemente would have night terrors of passing away on a plane, ultimately he would. But he realized that that could happen at any time, so instead of letting this fear cripple him, he was determined to not only make his life count, but he decided to make the world a better place for everyone around him. Clemente was the epitome of selflessness, he would teach his teammates the game of baseball and make them comfortable around the pressures of being a Major League Baseball player. His work as a humanitarian was and still is unmatched, so much so that Major League Baseball has the "Roberto Clemente Award." This award is to honor the one player who made the most impact in his city that season.
This leads me to one other man who has lead me to believe that we all have a purpose in life, but more importantly got me back on my own two feet from a terrible couple of weeks. This man is my former teammate Justin Graham. I did not know Justin extremely well, but I know this, Justin was a force of positivity wherever he went. He was not only a talented baseball player, but was a very sharp student. I have never heard anything bad about him, in fact he was a role model for people his age and older than him.
Over a year ago Justin was diagnosed with leukemia. Justin fought with all of his will to defeat the disease that was in him, but passed away two weeks ago. I will never forget April 18th, 2018 hearing that news of Justin's passing. Truly heartbreaking. The first question you ask is why? But that Sunday, my question was answered. Justin is now at work with God. Justin's impact was felt, and it was the first service that wasn't sad, but was uplifting. Everyone could feel Justin's presence. Just like every day Mr. Graham was on the baseball diamond or in the classroom, he was the center of attention and his smile and positivity made your mood brighter and your life better. So yet again, I want to tell you Justin thank you, and I know that you are still with us every single day, you're just doing God's work from upstairs now.
Life isn't meant to be easy. Anything worth doing, is completed with hard work, blood, and tears. It isn't easy, but it can be earned. All we can do is what we can control, and do your best. And never forget, you have a purpose, so be the change you want to be in this world. And never forget that the most important time in your life is right now.
"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." - Andre 3000
For years, I have heard the saying that life is a game of choices, so choose wisely. The error in this quote is that no matter how wise we believe we are or how much we have grown, life finds a way to humble us. The past few weeks have been a difficult time for me both personally and professionally. I felt overwhelmed and did not know how to respond. But I have found out this, the only way to make things better is to get back off of the ground and get to work.
The two quotes I have put up for this blog post may have your head scratching, but they both intertwine beautifully together, so stay with me. I will first start off with the highly talented musician Andre 3000, yes you know him, from the hit song "Hey Ya!" But he and his Outkast members also had another song, where this lyric comes from and there is truth with that lyric. No matter how well laid out your plan is, life will ultimately come in and take over. It is the age old adversary for man, and that is the uncontrollable. So what do you do?
This leads to me to my other quote, the one by my all time favorite baseball player, Roberto Clemente. This quote sums up the man and the ballplayer. Clemente was known to be a ridiculously good baseball player. He was also a bonafide leader throughout his whole tenure as a Major Leaguer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But what he was also known for, was his work as a humanitarian. He was known to go on mission trips to help out less fortunate areas in South America. Clemente would actually pass away after hitting his 3,000th hit going to help his home country of Puerto Rico from a terrible natural disaster.
But what about that Clemente quote? Well the answer is this, we all have a purpose in life. Do we have a purpose? My whole life I have battled with this question, as have so many others. But I can now fully believe in that we all have a purpose on this Earth. Clemente would have night terrors of passing away on a plane, ultimately he would. But he realized that that could happen at any time, so instead of letting this fear cripple him, he was determined to not only make his life count, but he decided to make the world a better place for everyone around him. Clemente was the epitome of selflessness, he would teach his teammates the game of baseball and make them comfortable around the pressures of being a Major League Baseball player. His work as a humanitarian was and still is unmatched, so much so that Major League Baseball has the "Roberto Clemente Award." This award is to honor the one player who made the most impact in his city that season.
This leads me to one other man who has lead me to believe that we all have a purpose in life, but more importantly got me back on my own two feet from a terrible couple of weeks. This man is my former teammate Justin Graham. I did not know Justin extremely well, but I know this, Justin was a force of positivity wherever he went. He was not only a talented baseball player, but was a very sharp student. I have never heard anything bad about him, in fact he was a role model for people his age and older than him.
Over a year ago Justin was diagnosed with leukemia. Justin fought with all of his will to defeat the disease that was in him, but passed away two weeks ago. I will never forget April 18th, 2018 hearing that news of Justin's passing. Truly heartbreaking. The first question you ask is why? But that Sunday, my question was answered. Justin is now at work with God. Justin's impact was felt, and it was the first service that wasn't sad, but was uplifting. Everyone could feel Justin's presence. Just like every day Mr. Graham was on the baseball diamond or in the classroom, he was the center of attention and his smile and positivity made your mood brighter and your life better. So yet again, I want to tell you Justin thank you, and I know that you are still with us every single day, you're just doing God's work from upstairs now.
Life isn't meant to be easy. Anything worth doing, is completed with hard work, blood, and tears. It isn't easy, but it can be earned. All we can do is what we can control, and do your best. And never forget, you have a purpose, so be the change you want to be in this world. And never forget that the most important time in your life is right now.
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