I received some
awards Friday. Six of them, to be exact.
I was fortunate
enough to have some of the work I produce for The Anderson News
recognized by the Kentucky Press Association. Two of my entries won
their categories, four others were awarded third place, with two of
the thirds coming in divisions where I also was awarded first place.
I would be lying if
I said it was not nice to be recognized for excellence by my peers. I
have received many various awards over the years with the plaques and
trophies commemorating the first-place finishes having a prominent
place in my office. I am a competitor, whether it is on the
basketball court or typing out something on a keyboard.
Being the best is
my goal every day and those six awards are the exclamation points
behind the long hours and hard work that I invest in my job as sports
editor of The Anderson News. And I will admit I am proud of them.
But those six
awards paled in comparison to the one I had received earlier in the
day. In fact, there really was no comparison.
My iPhone alerted
me of an incoming Facebook message. It was a name I had not seen or
heard for decades.
It was from a girl
who had been a part of the church youth group in my first ministry.
It was way back in 1978-79. Jimmy Carter was in the White House, I
drove a Plymouth Duster and Robin Williams was becoming a household
name for his antics on “Mork and Mindy.”
“Long time no
see....yet (it) seems like only yesterday you were youth minister and
staying with us at mom and dad's,” she wrote.
We had seen each
other a time or two after I left the church but drifted apart, as I
have with so many people over the years. I can't honestly say the
last time I saw Suzie (not her real name), but would guess it has
been at least 30 years.
I remembered her
family and the fun I used to have in their home. I also knew they
liked me quite a bit when I served in that church.
Through the miracle
of Facebook, Suzie found me and said she remembered me “being a
youth minister, friend and big brother all rolled into one, watching
ball games and chatting about what the past week's events held, and
advice and inspirational talks and support for a teen trying to just
make it through another week of high school.”
I was floored.
Suzie shared some
of her personal story, then wrote, “being just a teen back then i
probably didn't say at all or not enough thank you for the difference
you made in my life, giving me stepping stones to rise above the
challenges and continue on a road less traveled … so if you ever
doubt that your life has made a (difference) and no one has told you
it has, I'm telling you now, and thank you from the bottom of my
heart.”
Sitting in the
parking lot of the Lawrenceburg Kroger, I was literally in tears.
I never knew.
The rewards that I
received that night? Nice. They do look good on the resume. They do
mean that people in my profession believe my work meets or exceeds a
standard of excellence. But I also know that many different things
could happen to tear down the platform with which I have been
incredibly blessed.
And one day I will
be gone. A hundred years from now, it is doubtful anyone would know
who John Herndon was.
But what Suzie told
me? That is eternal. It is a reward that can't be put on a plaque and nailed to a wall.
Suzie ministered to me in a way she probably did not know either. You
see, I was a little down Friday. I was exhausted from a long week and
was looking at a busy weekend.
Suddenly, I had a spring in my step.
Have you told
someone how they have impacted your life?
It's easy to
criticize. I know. I might be the world's worst. At times, it serves
me well as a journalist, but in human relations, it's not always the
best trait to own.
Have you built
someone up today?
Paul said in I
Thessalonians 5:10-11, “He died for us so that, whether we are
awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage
one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
“Thank you for
the difference you made in my life, giving me stepping stones to rise
above the challenges and continue on a road less traveled .”
And thank you,
Suzie, from the bottom of my heart. You have now made a huge
difference in my life, too.
