Soul Sanctuary

Spring Season Lacrosse Wrapup

2009-05-22T11:56:00.002-04:00

I know, it’s been like 5 months since I’ve wrote anything. I can tell you it was for a good reason why I’ve been MIA. For the last couple months, I’ve been coaching a 11 and under lacrosse team in Cherokee County, GA. The season is now over and in summary, we had an extremely successful season.

For the season, we played 9 games. Their record was 8-1 and we participated in 2 end of season tournaments. The first tournament, The Roswell Invitational, was okay. We finished in our pool 2 – 2, but I felt much better considering no one in our pool went undefeated. By knowing that, it showed that the teams in the pool were evenly matched.

Our last tournament, the Bagataway Tournament, is a national qualifier for the U11 national lacrosse tournament. Because the tournament was held at our home field, we were given an opportunity to participate. My organization had two U11 teams, so we combined the two teams and took the 20 best players from both teams. We had two practices to develop some sense of chemistry and camaraderie. Needless to say, after our last practice, I had my fingers crossed to win just one game.

The day of the tournament started with an 11am game against a Forsyth county team. We didn’t play them during the season so I knew nothing about this team. And given my outlook on the tournament, I just told the boys to go out and have fun. Well, they had fun indeed! I’m not certain what was discussed among them between Thur and Sat, but they looked like a team that had been playing together all season! We won that game 16-1!

Our second game was against a team from Alpharetta. I gave them the same pregame speech, “Let’s have fun!”. And they did just that. In fact, we earned our first shut out of the season with a convincing 11-0 victory. Maybe, just maybe, I underestimated my team?

Sunday would be our test. We would play a team from Gwinnett county at 9am, and our last game would be against the Lake Norman All Stars from Charlotte, NC. From our first game until now, they were sizing us up, taking notes to determine how to defend us. ARE YOU SERIOUS??? You can’t line up your best 10 players and just play the game? We had 3 coaches, they had 8!!! I wonder if they were being paid to coach! LOL

We beat the Gwinnet team 12-2. Can you believe during the game, the Lake Norman coaches were taking notes about my boys and how they play? You can’t be serious! So in the spirit of gamesmanship, I had my boys take their jerseys off after our last game. And with about 5 mins remaining before we played the Charlotte team, I made them switch numbers!!

It was hard fought battle, probably one of the most exciting U11 lacrosse games I’ve seen ever! Even better, we won, 9-6!! Their coaches were definitely humbled as they expected to annihilate us! They even had this look of confusion as if to say “How did we lose that game?”. Actually, it was pretty simple. Any team I ever coach will be fundamentally sound. And quite simply, we played better as a team and won all the ground ball battles. Maybe next year coach J
Because we were the top seed in our pool, we got an automatic invite to the finals!! And in the semi-finals, were two North Carolina teams vying for the opportunity to play my team! The semi-final wasn’t even close and the Hurricanes won 10-1 over their arch rival The Cobras.

So here I am, trying to pinch myself to wake up from the dream. 1) I didn’t grow up playing competitive lacrosse, 2) This is my first year coaching lacrosse. What did I do to deserve this? These were my thoughts 5 minutes before the game. The team we were playing is a club team that travels throughout the country to participate in tournaments, their coach was a former lacrosse player and had been coaching the team for several years. How was I going to compete against that? Anyway, the game started and by halftime, we were only down one point.

When the game was over, we had lost by 2 points. The kids came off the field with a sense of dejection. But quickly, I reminded them of how far they had come and gave them some perspective as to what they did accomplish. As we’re shaking hands, the winning team was very positive to the boys and loaded them with compliments. I spoke with the other coach and commended him on the sportsmanship his boys exhibited and congratulated him on a hard fought win. He reciprocated by complimenting on the kids’ hustle and their athletic ability. When I explained to him that we were a rec team, he shook his head and blew a sigh of relief!

For all that trouble, we earned 2nd place in the Southeast championship. I was extremely proud of the boys as well as myself considering I didn’t back down from competing against significantly more experienced teams and coaches. I had a blast but am very happy the season is over so that I can focus on my golf game!

I’ll try to be better about writing about my escapades. Hope you enjoyed it!

No More Bush!!

2009-01-26T16:53:00.000-05:00

One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White Housefrom across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he'd been sittingon a park bench.
He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, 'Iwould like to go in and meet with President Bush.'
The Marine looked at the man and said, 'Sir, Mr. Bush isno longer president and no longer resides here.'
The old man said, 'Okay' and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White Houseand said to the same Marine, 'I would like to go in andmeet with President Bush.'
The Marine again told the man, 'Sir, as I said yesterday,Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resideshere.'
The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.
The third day, the same man approached the White House andspoke to the very same Marine, saying 'I would like to goin and meet with President Bush.'
The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, lookedat the man and said, 'Sir, this is the third day in a rowyou have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I'vetold you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the presidentand no longer resides here. Don't you understand?'The old man looked at the Marine and said, 'Oh, Iunderstand. I just love hearing it.'
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, 'See you tomorrow.'

Within

2008-12-18T11:19:00.005-05:00

I apologize for not blogging much this month. I've been a bit introspective as of late. There's something about the end of the year that does that to me. It never really allows me to enjoy the holidays because my mind is going a million miles a second about everything else.

Work has been super hectic as of late. A few weeks ago, our CIO passed after a long battle with Myeloma (cancer of immune system cells). To be honest, he and i didn't speak much, but I have much respect for him and his industry knowledge. He will be sorely missed.

The missus cut off her locks! I'm liking the new do but I think she appreciates it more since i have free access to her scalp for those wonderful scalop massages. It makes washing her hair that much easier as well.

Christmas is here but my head is a million miles away. I hope the trip to VA to visit my in-laws pulls my head out of my a$$ to remember the reason for the season.

My maternal grandmother celebrated her 80th birthday on 12/11. I wished to have been there for the celebration but am looking forward to heading home soon to catch up with her.

If I don't get the opportunity later, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season! And remember, Jesus is the reason for the season :)

I have...

2008-11-20T12:20:00.005-05:00

I have a confession to make. I've used the church on Wednesdays to get two hours of sanity so that the misses and I can have sometime to ourselves. Okay, let me explain! The church in our neighborhood has a program called 'Awana' which provides Bible study to youth. The church meets on Wednesdays and since our kids need friends that 'look like them', we figured they would meet those friends at the local church. Anyway, they have adult bible study at that time as well, but because 1) we have no family here, 2) we have no friends we can depend on, we typically can't get away and have mommy and daddy time. So we've begun using Awana Wednesdays as our date night while the kids get some 'ligion in their lives. Is that morally wrong on our part???

You've Got Mail

2008-11-13T20:25:00.006-05:00

Hey Grandma Ethel Lowe,

It's been a while since i've written one of these. How are things up there? Are Tupac and Biggie getting along up there? I see you've had a chance to meet Rick James in person. No longer do you have to hug the record album version of him. We really miss you here and hope all is well.

The family is great! Your son is being the 'Rock of Gibraltor' he's always been. He's mellowed out as he's become older. And despite how hard he was on me growing up, I've come to be amazed at the man for all that he's done for me and the family. Your daughter-in-law is looking gorgeous as ever, aging like fine wine. She's doing well and the two of them are my rock. Your granddaughter is doing well. The last 5-6 yrs have been a little rocky, but like you, she has steel through her veins and will be fine. She has three boys. One is in college studying to be an Accountant. The youngest is in high school with aspirations of attending the college. The middle child? Well, he's still trying to figure out his path.

I have a beautiful family myself grandma! My wife is a beautiful woman, kind of stubborn like you. She and I are raising three kids: 2 boys and one girl. The two boys are my spitting image; I couldn't deny them if i tried. The oldest is playing football and is becoming a responsible, young man. The baby boy is very smart, with quick wit, just like you. He's still feeling his way, trying to figure out himself. The girl? I think she's the most like you of the three. Stubborn, with a fiery personality to match. I'm sure if you show yourself to her, she will receive you and you guys would be two peas in a pod.

I just wanted to say that after all these years, I still remember the time we spent fishing together. I can still recall the day my younger cousin ATE the two bluegill i caught and hoped to eat later that night! Only you could have kept me from throwin him from the dock that day. You seemed to really understand the whole me. Some think i'm aloof, a little odd, even nerdy, but that's okay. Those who know me are fine with it and it was you who always told me to 'be true to me'. I have been being me and I thank you for the love you've shown me.

Thank you for hearing me out. Tell the rest of the Jedi Council crew i said 'Waddup'. Tell Grandpa I love him as well and i really hated i didn't get the chance to fish with him. Since we're being honest here, that one dude you were with, Mr. Lowe; he really scared me! I hated that he called us the 'Duck' family! Take care and hopefully NOT ANYTIME soon, we'll have Sunday dinner again.

P.S. - If you can forgive me for not attending your homegoing service all those years ago, I can forgive you for calling me 'Aaron' all those years *wink*.

The Ant And the Elephant

2008-11-13T13:05:00.005-05:00

Below is a story that was shared with me by one of my uncles. I was about 18 years old, near high school graduation, but a bit concerned about moving from high school where I was a 'big fish' in a small pond, to college where I would be a 'small fish' in a much larger pond. He understood my sentiments and over a game of pool, he recited the story below. Hope you enjoy!

There was this elephant that was walking through the jungle when he
fell into a pool of quicksand. A mouse just happened by and asked,
"You need some help getting out?" To which the elephant said, "Of
course I do, but how can you possably get me out of here?"

The mouse simply said, "Let me go get my Corvette
and I'll be right back." In just a few minutes the mouse returned
driving a bright red, brand new Corvette. He got out, hooked up a
chain to the car and proceeded to pull the elephant out of his sure
death trap.

A week or so passed and, once again, the elephant was walking through
the jungle making sure to avoid the quicksand, when he spotted the
mouse traped in there surely to parish. He looked over to the mouse
and asked, "Do you need me to help you out of there?" to which the
mouse replied, "I sure do, but I didn't know that you too had a
'Vette." The elephant told him, "I don't, but I do have a BIG
dick." He then proceeded to flop it out and pull the mouse to safety.

And the moral to this story is.....

If you have a BIG dick, you don't need a Corvette!

Sign Of The Times

2008-11-04T14:48:00.010-05:00

Can you believe it? Election day is finally here! Right now as it stands, history will happen in a few hours. The question is, which? Will the first African American candidate win to become President of the United States or, will the first woman VP candidate win to become the first Vice President of the United States.? Again, history will happen today!

So i'm watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles last night. During commercials, i would flip to the MNF game between the Redskins and the Steelers. The wife isn't much of a football fan so out of respect of her, i tried to keep it on Fox for Sarah Connor to finish. The MNF game started at 8:30 so i figured to miss the first quarter. Anyway, about 5 minutes before Sarah Connor goes off, I hear "those f*&kers punted again!". This chick is watching the interactive version of the game on nfl.com!! I could have hurt her for leaving me out like that!

You want to know why she watched the game? Apparently, the last home game for the Redskins has accurately predicted the party of the next president 15 out of the last 16 presidential elections. If the Redskins win their last home game before the election, then the incumbent party stays in power. Else, if they lose, the incumbent party loses their white house bid. If you guys are believers in superstition, the Redskins LOST to the Steelers 23 - 6 which would mean, the incumbent party is outta here! It'll be interesting to see if that holds true tonight.

I hope rocked the vote and if you haven't, shame on you!!

Terry Tate and Politics

2008-10-28T07:40:00.005-04:00

it's the return of Terry Tate BABY!!!

Fury

2008-10-27T09:56:00.002-04:00

How can a weekend with so much promise, become such a disaster? Some days, I wish I were that kid who threw passes to himself in the backyard. When mother told her son “…life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”, she surely got it right. In fact, life for me has become that dream deferred. I just don’t want to be left holding the bag when it pops.

My Name Is...

2008-10-16T10:34:00.004-04:00

"More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion.” Harvey Milk

So the missus and I are watching the final debate last night. On several occasions, both candidates brought up 'Joe Plumber' and how their policies would benefit 'Joe Plumber'. In my opinion, there are so many different types of Joes out there, you can't focus on 'Joe Plumber'. Hell, there's 'Crazy Joe', there's 'Good for Nothing Joe', there's 'White Coat Joe' and 'Blue Collar Joe', there's 'Joe Jr' and there's 'GI Joe', just to name a few. What's good for Joe Plumber may not make sense for GI Joe or White Coat Joe. I think it's up to the candidates to identify among all the different 'Joes' out there how their plans and policies will benefit them all.

On to another subject. For years, as a child, i hated my middle name. Well, in the last couple years, i have yet another reason to hate my middle name. Since 9/11, I've had to fly to various client meetings and whatnot, and EVERY SINGLE TIME i go through the security checkthrough line, I'm stopped and have to go through the much longer pat down. I still attribute the additional pat down to my middle name.

So now you're all curious. What is my middle name? My middle name is famous due to a basketball player who played 20 yrs in the NBA From 1969 to 1989. His biggest rivalry was with the Boston Celtics and he played alongside two Hall of Famers in James Worthy and Magic Johnson. By now, i hope you've figured it out. If not, then wikipedia is for you :)

I've since learned to deal with my middle name. Unless i have to tell people, i typically don't share it. I've had people ask if I'm Muslim because of my middle name! The thing is, if i come to your company for a job interview, what does my faith have to do with me getting the job done, or being the best person for the job? For the record, I'm not Muslim and the only bit of Islam i know is "Assalamu alaikum" (read it in the Autobiography of Malcolm X years ago). By the way, if you haven't read that book, you should. Enjoy your day good people!

Right the Wrong

2008-10-14T10:18:00.000-04:00

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform"
Mark Twain (1904)

My oldest son started fifth grade this year. Every week, his Language Arts teacher makes his class write a paragraph about some topic of her discretion. A few weeks ago the topic was "What does the flag mean to you and why". The purpose is to get the kids to write an opinion and to support it using at least 5 sentences that include an opening and conclusion sentence.

So I ask him "What does the flag mean to you?", and he begins to rattle off stuff that I'm sure he heard from his friends in school. He mentions it being the 'symbol of our struggle' (whose struggle?). I cut him off and ask him again, "No...What does the American flag mean to YOU?". By now, I think he understands what I'm asking. You see, he's always been one to not 'rock the boat' and as a parent, I want him to have the ability to speak his own mind and stand up for himself with what he thinks is right.

So now he's thinking. And after about an hour, he has a couple of reasons why the flag means absolutely NOTHING to him! Now keep in mind, i don't necessarily agree with him, but he's now thinking critically, and for that I'm proud. My wife and I help him with his grammar and spelling and on he goes to school with his finished paragraph, including revisions and our corrections. This past weekend, I got a chance to see his grade and the teacher's comments. He received a 100 percent, with comments from the teacher appreciating his 'break from the norm'.

Lately, I've found myself on the minority side of decisions and I'm content with being there. Now if i can only convince people to stop trying to persuade me to go with the majority! You can quote all the facts you want, my stance is my stance and i will not be convinced to sway. I have my facts too that support my stance and what it means to me. For example, I've had a co-worker try to convince me why John McCain should be our next president. And part of his argument was "as a minority, you should rejoice if McCain is our next president since he will continue to lower taxes to keep money in your pocket..." I won't go into what i told them, however, they will probably never discuss politics with me ever again.

So what's the moral of the story here? Don't be upset if you're not able to convince someone to side with your opinion. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and prefers the smell of their own shit. Good day people :)