Happy Birthday, Coach!

Coach,

when i sat down last evening to draft a note to you in remembrance of your birthday, i
wanted to expound on the note i wrote a week or so back.

the term "coach" might be to me the greatest title that anyone can call a person.  
only surpassed by the label  "dad",  but certainly in the same zip code !

when we have any time in our lives to reflection, most of the lessons of life were taught
to us through lessons on the green stripped pasture by those caring individuals we love,
have known as "coaches" 

like friends, coaches come in categories, with favorites and stories attached to each and every one.

the folks that were lucky enough to play organized ( and some unorganized ) sports came in
contact with role models and life instructors, chock full up with lessons for life that would serve mankind well to hear. 

all of our fate was molded by men who took the time to listen to those that came before them, and shared their lessons with us.  hard to believe that there were coaches way back then,
but all those whistle toting men learned the good stuff from other coaches.  and we are ALL better for those lessons remembered !    lessons came to us in different ways and in different times, and not all learned them in the same order.   our successes in life are all to a degree relative to those lessons we listened to and retained to re-teach to our children. 

i was privileged to have passed by and trough the lives of some real characters as coaches.
i have the opportunity to meet a number of my childhood hero's that were all coaches as i grew up. Names like bryant, dietsel, mcclendon, royal, phillips, gillioz, dorsett to name a few.

when our life paths crossed i hope you know the instant rapport' that made me feel at ease and
to be an instant listener was evidenced my head and heart.  i know some of your players may not know the actual day or date of your birth, but without exception i know each of those lives that you touched are somewhere today as a result of lessons learned under your tutelage by seeing how you live your life day to day. 

one of the most proud moments for me was when you and kay came to bradley's graduation dinner.
his god given ability was enhanced by a multitude of lessons and experiences in life.  he nor i will forget the time and effort extended in his behalf with your friends matta, kendal and art in waco.  i felt like he should have been there from the start and the series of events and the constant attention from new mexico resulted in a different path taken.  overcoming poor choices is another lesson learned.

we are proud to count you as a friend , honored to have experienced you in our corner, and are ever indebted to you for your experiences, integrity, and for sharing you life lessons with our family and the many other athletes and friends that have had the privilege to share and cross your path.

God has richly blessed you in this life with purpose, friends and family.

in the distant future, i know exactly what he will  say when he greets in heaven......

"WELCOME COACH !   WELL DONE, MY FAITHFUL FRIEND  !"



Karla and  Mark Miller