Sunday's On The Way

Why do endings always seem to surprise us? It's as if a part of our deeply embedded genetic makeup refuses to accept the inevitable. Perhaps it's because the end of the road always seems to arrive at a time we least prefer, accompanied by much pain & loss. This was the position I found myself in yesterday afternoon, while enjoying a hot cup of joe, playing a quiet game of Chess with my son, & watching a mounting Sooner victory unfolding on the overhead flat screen. And while I witnessed the injury occurring, it wasn't until the tears began flowing on the sidelines with a supporting team of medical staff nearby, that an indescribable sickness began to wash over me. That image will haunt me forever. Unfulfilled dreams are what is supposed happen to the other guy (kind of like minor surgery is what physicians perform on someone else). But there I was, like a stunned deer in headlights, watching Ryan Broyle's storied college career come to a most abrupt, & agonizing conclusion. What made this all the more personal, was having the privilege of conversing with Ryan (via the magic of Twitter) on a daily, if not hourly basis. He's commented on my son's baby pictures, endured my countless weak attempts at humor, & even has my family recipe for Santa Fe Soup. That being acknowledged, I take great comfort in knowing his off the field story & contributions will be his most enduring legacy, as his faith has not only turned his own life around, but pointed countless others to their Creator. And what an amazing platform he has been given to do it with. Without question, Oklahoma's loss is the NFL's gain. I will be anxiously waiting to see what God has in store for the next chapter of his life. Yes one way or another, Sunday's On The Way. Godspeed Ryan. The best is yet to be.