STEP UP TO THE PLATE ~ Part Two

Admittedly, I am a bit behind on my sportsmanship series.  I must ask for forgiveness there.  I have had a bit of a rough patch with my father-in-law.  We recently discovered that he would need to undergo brain surgery.  After having done that process, he is now in an occupational therapy program at a hospital here in Portland.  It has been quite a trying time for the past several weeks.  However, it has caused family to band back together and support one another.  Though the circumstances have not been ideal, there are always lessons to be learned, and I would like to take this moment to point out another life lesson which I have been reminded of again.  It does pertain to sportsmanship and teamwork, too.  So, I believe that this is an appropriate time to discuss filling in the gap.

Filling in the gap means that when one player is out of commission they are not replaced.  Rather, the rest of the team closes in and handles the role that the unavailable player normally handles.  In a basketball game, you will see a player be running down the court and lose control of the ball and himself.  As their body goes flailing into the stands, the remaining four on the court hustle to where the ball is and they protect the ball with an even greater intensity until the fifth man is up and running.   With Dad, he is down and has been for a bit.  However, we are not replacing him and we would not dream of it.  We all try to pick up the slack a little bit...filling the gap of where his presence would normally be!  Really, no one could replace Dad if we tried.  I lost myDad almost four years ago now.  As hard as people try to fill his shoes, no one ever can even come close to replacing him.  There are people, like my husband, my Mom, and even my father-in-law who have become very skilled at filling the gap that I feel in my life when I miss my Dad.

So how do we go about filling the gap for others in our everyday lives?  We all experience loss to one degree or another.  When we do, we need to close in around those who are hurting.  Almost like a mother bear protecting her young.  We need to pick up the ball, with newfound strength from our teammate, and run.  Run with a new passion, a new dedication, and a new purpose.  We are running for someone else.  A friend who is too weak to run due to a recent divorce.  A brother who lost his job due to the economy.  A stranger who lost their life in a war, but we know his sister, our neighbor.  We are filling the gap and remembering that we need others and that they need us.  As we go about the upcoming season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, remember those who are hurting, and help them by filling the gap.  Make dinner and invite the young college student who cannot afford a plane ticket home for Thanksgiving, over for dinner.  Donate a gift to the local domestic violence shelter.  Serve in a soup kitchen line.  Take candy canes to a senior citizen home during Christmas...my kids and I love doing this one each year!  Filling the gap is our calling in life.  We are destined to play on a team.  We are destined to FILL THE GAP, and by doing so, we all win!

As you find ways to fill the gap, I will be watching, reading, writing, and cheering you on!