A Different Kind of Wedding Favor

     Last night I wrote about what a thrill it was to attend the wedding of my adopted soldier, Logan, in Georgetown, Kentucky.  Well, something else happened at the wedding which was also very exciting.  It was a kindness act that I started at the wedding, and was able to complete (sort of) this evening.  Let me explain.

     As strange as it may be, Logan had mentioned to me when he was here that his godmother was a crazy, insane Eagles' fan, going back to the days of Randall Cunningham (1980's).  I'm not sure how or why that happened since she's in Kentucky and didn't grow up or live in the Philly area at any time.  Regardless, she's a huge fan, and she was quite jealous that Logan got to attend a game with me while she's never seen them play.

     At the wedding last night, he made a point of introducing me to her and we talked Eagles for a bit.  That got me thinking.  Later in the evening I approached her and asked if she would like to have my tickets for the last home game of the season, December 23rd against the Redskins.  It didn't take her more than about 2 seconds to say she'd love to.  No checking her schedule, no checking with anyone else.  She was in!

     When I got home today, I went to my Eagles account where I was actually able to have my tickets forwarded to her by e-mail.  When I called her to be sure I had all her contact information correct, she still couldn't believe it.  She told me that she'd been telling everyone she knows that she's going to see the Eagles play!

     I really love these types of situations where I can create an experience for someone that might not otherwise be possible.  It's something they'll always remember, and that's pretty cool.

     And speaking of memorable experiences, the woman I wrote about last month who I'm helping to send on her first plane ride along with her mother (to Vegas), embarked on her trip today.  I'm eager to hear and share her story as it unfolds.

I Hope They'll Have Fun

     As anyone who lives in the Philadelphia area knows all too well, being an Eagles fan is a frustrating and often times agonizing curse.  This year, more than any year that I can remember, they've sunk to near record levels of disappointment, especially given the pre-season expectations that they were one of the league's elite teams.  As a season ticket holder and avid fan, it's pretty rare for me to miss a game.  However, I'm headed to Birmingham tomorrow and will therefore have to watch the Monday night game on TV.  On the positive side, this at least gave me the opportunity to give my tickets to someone else who might not otherwise be able to get to very many games.

     In this case, I was able to give my tickets to a family friend - a young man who works with many high school students.  For them, it should be a special treat (and they'll probably even be able to stay awake long enough to see the end!).  I hope that they'll be able to enjoy the game, in spite of the level of play the Eagles are likely to put on display.

     As I was thinking about giving away my tickets, I noticed this sense of excitement that I had something that a fair number of people might want and enjoy, and it was fun to think of who best to give it to.  It's great to be able to make someone else's day, and in truth, it was no big deal to me since the money was already spent and I couldn't go anyway.

     In some respects, I wonder if this is what it feels like (though on a much different scale) when some rich person like an athlete donates a million dollars to some particular cause.  It must be fun to be able to do things like that, knowing the kind of impact it can have.  On the one hand, the sacrifice they're making is pretty insignificant given the size of their wealth, and in fact may be much less sacrifice than someone who gives $25 when they had so little to give.  And yet, there's no denying that the $1 million gift can accomplish so much more in terms of an organization's mission than can the $25 gift.  

     I have no brilliant conclusion to that thought; it's just something I contemplate from time to time.  It's not dissimilar to the unanswerable question of how much any one of us should give to others.  Giving what we "can" is such a nebulous phrase.  Undoubtedly, whatever amount we give, we could certainly have given more.  And yet, somehow we each have to decide how to strike a balance between sharing what we have with others who are less fortunate, and enjoying the things we're able to afford given our circumstances.  

A Great Day Despite Losses

     Well, after nearly a year of being "pen pals", I finally had the chance to spend considerable personal time with my "adopted soldier" Logan.  I arranged for him to fly in to Philadelphia from his home in Kentucky (he's now done with his active military duty) yesterday afternoon.  Since he's a huge sports fan like me, we had a great weekend of football planned.

     On Saturday afternoon, we were excited to watch what we had thought (and hoped) would be a big victory for Alabama over Texas A&M.  Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way, but we enjoyed watching the game anyway.

     Today was a blast.  We got things started with a lunch of awesome ribs at Famous Dave's.  Then we went into Philly and toured the National Constitution Center (Logan is a big history buff) and saw the Liberty Bell.  Then it was off to the Eagles game, hoping to see them crush the Cowgirls.  Unfortunately, that didn't go as planned, either!  It was Logan's first-ever NFL game, so it was still fun.

     After the game, we picked up a pizza (a favorite for both of us) and brought it home to eat while watching the Bears (his favorite team) play the Texans.  We even got to enjoy a homemade apple pie that Catherine baked and some ice cream as well.  Unfortunately, the Bears lost to make us 0-3 in terms of the teams we were rooting for!

     Believe it or not, it was back on January 6th when I wrote this blog post about my decision to participate in an "adopt a soldier" program through Soldiers' Angels.  Never having done anything like that, I didn't really know what to expect.  And here we are 11 months later, having an awesome weekend together with someone who's gone from being a total stranger to becoming a great friend.  And in just 4 more weeks, Catherine and I are headed to Kentucky to attend Logan's wedding as well.  Very cool!  Pretty amazing what can happen if you're willing to extend yourself.

Kindness and Cruelty

     A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post that I called "Kindness or Cruelty?".  It was about inviting a friend to join me for an Eagles home game.  Since we're both big Eagles' fans, and the team lost a heartbreaker, it's hard to say whether I was doing my friend a kindness or providing him with cruelty.  I call today's post "Kindness and Cruelty" for somewhat similar reasons.

     I invited a good friend from Atlanta (and his wife) up for the weekend for us to enjoy the time together and for he and I to go to the Eagles' game against the Falcons.  It was definitely a kindness for him as he got to enjoy seeing his hometown team dominate the pathetic Eagles.  For me, it was cruelty, as the Eagles sink further and further into the dumps.

     To be truthful, it didn't actually bother me as much as it normally does when they play this poorly.  This is partly because my expectations are so much lower, but also because I was able to enjoy spending time with a good friend.  Obviously, that's ultimately what it's about so much more than who wins and loses.  

Kindness or Cruelty?

     Some 9 years ago or so, when the Philadelphia Eagles opened their new stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, I decided to buy season tickets.  I'd never had season tickets to anything growing up, and I thought going to games might be a nice tradition I could establish with my son Ben who was a young teen at the time.  For the next 6 years, it was just that - a great ritual we enjoyed together.  While I missed sharing those games with Ben when he went off to college, it did present me with the opportunity to invite friends who might rarely have an opportunity to attend a game live.  Today was one of those days.

     I titled this post "Kindness or Cruelty?" because it so often is a little of each!  The kindness part is that I got to enjoy catching up with an old friend and business associate that I rarely get to see more than once or twice each year.  I make sure to invite him to a game each year since he's a big Eagles' fan and probably wouldn't get to go otherwise.  We always enjoy our time together talking about sports, our families, business, and life.  And today was no exception.

     The cruelty part is that watching an Eagles' game is never easy.  As any longtime fan knows, they have a way of teasing you with the possibility of greatness and then replacing your excitement with utter despair and disappointment as they find a way to lose yet another game that was virtually "in the bag."  This has been going on for some time, and never seems to change.  And each time we come back for more, hoping the result will somehow be different.  

     So while my gesture to invite my friend and spend quality time with him was one of genuine kindness, the result may have ultimately felt more like cruelty!  And we'll do it again next year . . .