A Tribute to the Bells

Well, hello world! You know, I like to shoot these things out into the universe sometimes more than anything as a kind of a message in a bottle. It feels like this is a modern day way to do it. Because you really never know who's gonna just have this randomly pop up and some sort of feed or something. And then who knows, maybe they smile. This is a tribute to a young man who just finished high school. He'll be walking and graduating on Thursday. His name is David Bell. And I don't really know where to start other than he is an exceptional human being. And I truly have admired watching him and getting to know him slightly and his family. And I'm doing this because yesterday I went to watch the state quarter final tennis match between Pembroke Hill and Rockhurst. And David is the number one on the Pembroke team. And I've never seen him play. And he is fantastic. I don't think I could watch tennis like that very often. I was a wreck. I was sitting there nervous. My heart was racing. I was really into it. It was a fantastic match. And David won in the third set tie break, 11 to 9. It was incredible. It was absolutely fantastic. And David's been dealing with some serious knee issues for almost over a year, partially because he was the person that got the cross-country team the necessary amount of points at the district championships for them to qualify for state. And then he turned around and ran another great race at state. And the team finished eighth, which was his highest place in almost 20 years. But I watched his match, he wins, say, congratulations. He has two incredible parents, Susan Bell and William Bell. And Susan is one of the nicest people I've ever met. And we're sitting there and she's encouraging him. And I'm talking, I have never heard a negative word towards her son's ever. Just encouragement, encouragement, encouragement. You can do it. And then the match is over and he joins his teammates to go watch. There's one more match going on, whoever wins it, that team gets to go to the final four. In Pembroke lost, they lost that match. And I'm sure he was pretty bummed. As an aside, a weird cork of tennis in the state of Missouri for high school, he has qualified for the state championship matches individually, but this was separately for the team. So he still has matches to come. But matches over, his mom comes up to me and says, "I just want to tell you thank you so much for coming." It means a lot to us, it means a lot to David. And I was like, "It's the least I could do. I should have been coming a long time ago." And never found the time, but let's not say that time was hidden somewhere. I certainly had the time. I didn't make the time. And that's on me, that's not on them. So she hugs me and she starts to cry. And she said, "I'm so sorry he couldn't run track this year." And she was sad, she misses track meets. And she almost intimated that somehow that we, that were let down. And I just want to make sure David or Susan or Bill, if you ever hear this, the half of the success of our programs is because of you too and the sons that you've raised. Incredible, incredible young men. I mean, I've talked with the cross country coach about where are we going to find that leadership? Where are we going to get that example for the other young people of this is what it takes to be your best? I cannot tell you how many times I've seen David in the training room, in the cardio room, in the weight room, out on the track, on a bike, swimming, doing all of these things, sacrificing his own time, his own wants and desires for the betterment of himself and the team. Incredible. You, I've never had to think to myself, is he giving us everything he has? It's not even, that's never even a question. You know, just watch. You could just watch this young man. And he's going to go play tennis in college. And that coach has no idea what he's getting. He thinks he's getting a really good tennis player. And he is, he's getting a good tennis player. And man, he is getting an exceptional human being who is going to provide a leadership and an example and an energy and a sense of what is right to that team. And my only thing I wish I could have done differently is had him a few more years. Because see, tennis is his number one, but track goes on at the same time. I mean, he'd play a two and a half hour match, maybe a two hour match, maybe he would play for six hours over a day. And then he would get in a car with his folks, drive to wherever we were to help us, to help his teammates. Because he knew he could make a difference. And instead of just saying, I'm a little tired or my knee hurts so I can't do this today. He stepped up. He always, always stepped up. So Susan, yesterday when you had those tears in your eyes, don't ever, don't ever feel that something wasn't good enough or that something was missed because it wasn't. You are incredible. Bill is incredible. Your sons are incredible. And David, just keep in you, my man. Just keep in you. Peace.