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Connors: Here’s how you can meet life’s challenges

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I am very close to being an avid football fan. Why? Because growing up in Chicago, every Sunday was “football Sunday” in my home. 

It wasn’t just my dad who instilled the interest in me. Born and raised in Chicago, one could hardly escape being a Bears fan. 

I don’t claim being an avid fan because I can only watch the games in small segments. I actually close my eyes and turn away when the players torpedo into one another. I cringe. Still, I find some of the heroic stories compelling. 

They are teaching stories on discipline of mind as well as body, of courage in the face of overwhelming odds, of determination and perseverance and of an unshakeably positive mind set. 

I discovered one such extraordinary person this past week, a former NFL football star. His name is Steve Gleason.

Back in Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Washington, Steve earned consecutive MVP awards in football. To me that speaks of being a team player in addition to being a remarkable demonstration of discipline, courage and passion. Steve got a scholarship to Washington State and, despite being small for a linebacker at 5-foot-11, he was a starter and was on the team that went to the Rose Bowl.

He went pro with the Indiananapolis Colts but really didn’t see play until he was signed by the New Orleans Saints the following year in 2000. He proved to be an MVP there, too. 

Steve’s stellar career, however, came to an abrupt halt in 2008 when he was diagnosed with ALS. 

That dire diagnosis and dire prognosis came just six days before he and his wife found out she was pregnant with their first child.

How did he meet that soul-wrenching news? He met it with a kind of unprecedented grace and empowering wisdom. He met it with tested faith. He had come to understand that there was something in him way bigger than the challenges — his unbreakable spirit. He met the challenge with unconquerable hope as well. 

He wanted to leave a meaningful, inspiring legacy for his children so he documented his journey. He declared that this diagnosis ignited the fire in him and that he was not going to shut down over it nor with it. 

And he hasn’t. He is still alive and making a difference in thousands of lives 15 years later. He has victoriously surpassed the two to five years prognosis for ALS. Here are a couple of ideas for meeting the challenges you may face (and we all do):

  • Don’t be afraid — be loving.
  • Stoke the fire of spirit within not the embers of what was, or what coulda, shoulda been.
  • Reach for the stars not the scars. Get into action on you hopes and dreams.
  • Make a difference with your life not a dirge. Make your life a contribution of inspiration and full-out living. 

Editor’s Note: Sharon Connors is the reverend at Unity Spiritual Church, 10101 W. Coggins, Sun City.