I’ve made many mistakes in my life.
Many of them could easily have been avoided.

Fortunately, not one of my mistakes has ended in the headlines.

Headlines

Dallas Morning News reported today that Major League baseball player, “Rangers’ Josh Hamilton has relapse with alcohol at area bar.”  USA Today, Washington Post, Fox Sports, it’s on the news, it’s filling the headlines.

“Someone went to a bar” is hardly news. “Someone had a few drinks” isn’t either.  Unless that someone is, as Jeff Passan described him, the “most famous addict in sports.”  Then, everyone who knows about you knows that that’s a problem.  Josh Hamilton’s story of self-destruction, sobriety, redemption and success have been well-documented including his autobiographical Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back.

The Pro Bowl is the NFL’s version of an all-star game. Pro Bowl players are selected by votes from the coaches, players and fans, each of which count for a third of the votes. 

Choosing the best possible players doesn’t guarantee success.  Each player still has the responsibility to perform at his highest level in concert with his fellow teammates.

Game Planning

If you could choose a roster of friends would you have chosen someone like yourself? If you could game plan how you relate to your friends would you make the same choices that you have? If you could game plan how your friends related to you would you make the same choices that they do?

Ladies and Gentlemen, this week Shawn White road the GREATEST snowboard run in recorded history!  Watch it!

In honor of Shawn White’s courage and determination and hard work, if you want to have a Gold-Medal winning friendship I’ve got some advice. 

“Wait a minute!”  I know, this week I’m writing about Pro Bowl quality friendships, but I’m diverting the metaphor for today.

I know mixing my metaphors is a no-no, but he got a perfect score!

Locate The Trouble Spot – Try to assess what has gone wrong. Ask yourself, “How did we get into this mess?”

Broomball has always been an equalizer sport. Unless you play on a club level or a national level like my friend Paul Thyren, most of us play broomball for fun.

Fun racing around on slippery hockey rink with street shoes or boots wielding awkward brooms; then in a moment of hope you swing the broom hoping to connect with the ball and send it into the opposition’s goal.

Broomball Buddies

Broomball is a great sport to enjoy wintery fun with friends. Here from the winter of 1996 is my dear friend the late Adam Bieringer. Adam passed away in April of 2010 much too young.

Breakaways & Broken Spirits

A beautiful February day filled with sunshine, laughter and friends.  It was a TreeHouse staff retreat and we had the morning and afternoon off.  A group of us headed to a local hockey rink for some broomball.

Since many players enjoying scoring goals more than stopping them I volunteered to play goalie for our team.  I also knew that most if not all the players were more athletic and better broomball players that I was. I also assumed that the differences in our abilities would be less evident with me in goal.

Synched together with rope I approached the rock.

I called out “On Belay?” I received the reply “Belay On”. I responded “Climbing”. Followed by “Climb On.”

My friend David Villringer learned to rock climb.  David’s courage and determination were both admirable and seemingly unreachable.  Graciously and patiently Dave taught me to climb.

David climbed the Tetons.  I struggled at Devil’s Rock.

I lacked both David’s strength and his will.

I wanted to climb, and I wanted to succeed, but I wanted NOT to get hurt far more.

Discomfort & Disappointment

Values are the things that are most important to us.  Yesterday I challenged you to consider your values and identify a Top 5.  Some of you even made yours public, thank you.

My Top 5 were Family, Friendship, Love, and Religious Beliefs, with Security edging out Peace and Self-Respect for the fifth spot. 1

With that in mind, I would like to think that my values would represent what I did with my time and money.  I’d like to say they do, but as often as my wife has teased me about “my mistress” — the laptop — I must confess to my misplaced priorities.

Today is a holiday for millions of people.

It’s the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL… for many kids.

If you’re an adult think back to your childhood, yes, back then.  It’s the last day of school!  Let the feelings fill you.  That’s how millions of kids are feeling this week!

Embrace Fun

My hope is that we all have a fun, safe and playful summer.

I’m a playful guy and I love playful people!

I am always looking to have some fun.

Some fun is beneficial, some fun is not.

Two things change today,  mysilentscream gets a new look and so do I.

It’s my birthday & I have a new shirt.

His Life

While watching NFL Films “The Ray Lewis Coaching Tree” I was inspired.

When I watched I felt Ray Lewis’ passion.

His successes and his shortcomings were discussed.  He spent time in jail.  He works a violent job.  He seems self-centered.

As I watched I felt motivated to remember:
- Be careful with my passion, it can hurt people.
- Lead by example and raise the level of the people around you.
- Embrace what’s true and inspire others with it.

I’ve been a Hawks fan since I was seven.

Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup!!!

I think this post stands on it’s own accompanied by this photo: