Tis the Season for...Game Changers! (and other minor miracles)

Adventful: Regardless of religious affiliation, everybody has occasions, events, and special dates they commemorate each year, those of either a historical or otherwise meaningful nature. Some dates in history, for instance that either heralded another historical event or a date on which a game changing event took place. Exactly a week from today, of course, the birth of Jesus is celebrated by Christians worldwide. The period of "advent", a period of expectant waiting and preparation, is also the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christendom (this year it began November 29th). For the rest of the world and those of a more secular nature, this time of the year is known as the 'countdown to Christmas'. There are calendars devoted to each, with the common denominator being the great anticipation of chocolates hiding behind each day. And, for the world of retail, there is the great countdown of shopping days, which seems to have 'calendar creep', coming earlier each year ("Christmas in July"!). 

Then and Now, Here and There: Before and since the birth of Christ, there have been gamechangers galore, people as well as events. You could easily come up with your top 25 list if forced to do so extemporaneously. Here I offer you just a few that have significance for our times, some of which you may not even be aware. For example, just yesterday another hurdle was cleared for a second CV-19 vaccine (that from Moderna, following the one from Pfizer) to be brought to us very soon, hailed as another game changer. A Reader's Digest "Family Miracles" article from this month's issue chronicles how two years ago to the day two individuals (only two ICU rooms apart but worlds apart in their prior experiences, one of which hails from this local area) received triple organ transplants at the same hospital within one day -- no one hospital had accomplished two triples within a year, let alone one day  (no rest for the weary surgeons, for these game changers, to whom we are all in debt). Two days ago, more than 70 years after a game changer named Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, the MLB formally recognized players from the previously known "Negro Leagues" as being major leaguers. And on today's BBC coverage of world news, barely noticed by us around here, reported that 344 boys who had been kidnapped by an extremist group in Nigeria, had finally been released (the conditions and factors associated with both their abduction and release remain murky, and some precious cargo remains unaccounted for). A life changer for the boys and their families, to be sure. 

Prepping for a Change - "Lace 'em up!": The biblical account of an attempt to prepare the world for a change, a cataclysmic event, includes that of "John the Baptist"  (who apparently wore 'minimalist sandals' on his feet) as well of prophets of old. It took so many to prepare us for an event that so many clamored for, but did not expect in form or time. In our respective lives, in our times, we have so many examples and applications of such attempts to prepare us for 'game time'. Among an endless list of worthy examples is that of John Wooden, a former basketball coach at UCLA with an incredible string of victories and well deserved accolades. The first thing an already seasoned player could expect from Coach Wooden was to be taught how to correctly put on their shoes and socks, a ritual they had somehow accomplished hundreds of thousands of times, but perhaps not to his satisfaction (he acknowledged he was a bit of a control freak but players later testified they rarely if ever had blisters). He also emphasized that his favorite time of the week was practice rather than game time, as it was in practice and preparation that he (and we) have the most control --the worst thing he could do to his players was end practice prematurely, a signal of great disappointment and one that proved to be a game changer when he occasionally employed it. Another game changing Wooden story involves that of  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lou Alcindor): while he played for coach Wooden, the rules committee for the NCAA made the slam dunk illegal (only to reveres itself), which he took personally, but his coach worked with him to craft the 'sky hook' , which eventually became a Kareem trademark and virtually unstoppable ('necessity, the mother of all inventions' plus great preparation!). In real time, when we all attempt a new cookie or dinner recipe this year (probably for less people at one sitting), we are offered both "prep" and "cook" time in order to plan out sufficient time, ingredients, and in my case, patience.

Major, Minor: How would you feel when, after all your time and energy you put into preaching and prophesizing during the Old Testament times, you are only rendered 'minor prophet' status? Who got to cast ballots, anyways? Are they saying I'm not quite ready for 'Prime Time' ? And how do players feel when, after playing in the majors for a few years, they are told "you are going down to the minors to get your game adjusted" -- while going down usually means a nice climate it has negative connotations no matter how the message is delivered. But there are plenty of examples of baseball players, after getting over themselves, rubbing their bruised egos, actually come back better players (and perhaps as better people as well, if humility accompanies them). In this month's Costco "Connection" magazine (featuring cool stuff, good info), an article entitled "Catalysts for Change", featuring some everyday folks like you and like me who have been game changers through selfless service, reminds us "...there are glimmers of hope among the turmoil..." Pretty impressive, for people who at first glance appear to be among the 'minor leaguers'. If they can do it...

Ready (or Not), On Call, "Lace 'em up!" How many of us actually feel like we are ready for prime time, ready for the opportunity to be game changers, even after plenty of preparation? In "We Were Soldiers", based on the true story of Colonel Hal Moore (played by Mel Gibson) and his troops preparing and then engaging the North Vietnamese Army early in the conflict in Vietnam, he acknowledges that, while not quite ready, he knew the time was coming that his new recruits would have to be deployed. Like a protective father, once he finds out they may not get the backup they expect and deserve, he has to find a way to reassure them and lead by example. A classic example of the type of experience depicted in some of those comedic military films where they ask for volunteers and everyone else takes a step back at once, leaving you standing alone, except this was quite real. What I have realized in my own professional and personal life is that, even with advanced preparation, change itself does not happen on my time frame &%*#! If you haven't had an experience yet where you are suddenly called into the game, you surely will (check your laces). We all find ourselves 'on call' at some time or another, may as well be ready. 

Looking for a Miracle? Cardinal Rules, Under Your Nose: As we await and anticipate the big game changing events, there is a tendency to either minimize or miss the 'minor' miracles that may appear before us daily, as well opportunities to make a difference. Like a young mom who sent me a series of reflections accompanied by photos of some 'hidden wonders' she and her two young boys had discovered on walks around the neighborhood and other locales, experiences that were actually prompted by other opportunities being limited by the pandemic (literally stopping to smell a rose, among other nature's gifts, many in our own back yards, in front of our noses). Many of you have shared the impact of seeing such simple things as a bird (more specifically a cardinal), and feeling you were visited by a dear departed (whereas we spotted a hawk perched in our evergreen today for the very first time--what does that imply?). Finally, when a 'major' miracle does arrive, are we really ready to receive it? For example, as the two game changing vaccines are beginning to show up in places near us, after we literally prayed for their arrival, many are showing ambivalence, distancing. How do we embrace the miracle(s) of Christmas? 

Hark! the Heralds (and cardinals) are near; can you hear? 🎝