I first recreated the scene from
Once we were done for the day, JD let me take all the locks home to practice on. I couldn’t wait until next time because she promised to teach me how to steal a car. I was sure that wouldn’t get me into any trouble.
◊◊◊ Sunday January 29
It was nice to be back in church. While I was in LA, I’d had the J-drama to film, so I never made it. On our way in, I heard a kid, probably twelve or thirteen, complaining about having to come to church.
It made me ponder: why do people go somewhere they don’t like? Is it out of some sense of obligation, and they think they must? I thought of examples: the dentist, DMV, airport security, and for the young girl, church.
How did coming to church turn into a chore?
As I scanned the congregation, I saw others who looked like they would rather be anywhere else but here. I found it sort of scary that I, Mr. I’m-always-the-last-one-to-know, picked up on their discomfort. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my acting experience or if I had started to get out of my own head and actually paid attention.
Then I looked around at the people who seemed happy to be here. The difference was stark in how they interacted with each other. They were acting like they were hanging out with family.
While you couldn’t pick your relatives—who doesn’t have a family member they dislike—they were at least cordial. Whereas the ones that didn’t seem happy gave off the vibe to stay away, and it seemed to be working.
Next, I thought about other situations, specifically football. When I’d been on recruiting trips, I’d gotten different vibes at each campus. Wisconsin’s fans had treated their rivals horribly. I wouldn’t be comfortable bringing my kids to a game there because of all the F-bombs that had been dropped.
Oklahoma had been the mirror opposite. I’d seen them invite Ohio State fans to their tailgate parties. At Alabama, it was very professional, what I would expect to see once I made it to the NFL. USC was more laid back. Their fan base didn’t show up until nearly the end of the first quarter. People seemed more worried about themselves there.
The place that stood out was Clemson. They had rabid fans, but what struck me was the culture within the football program. It was like family. If you were a part of the program, you were embraced and welcomed. That was why they had been successful in building their program. Clemson didn’t just recruit the best athletes; they recruited players that wanted to be part of the family. They recruited players who weren’t only in it for themselves.
We’d seen that same difference when we played in our away game in St. Louis. Our opponent from Texas had been made up of individuals intent on highlighting their skills so they would get recruited to play college ball. On paper, we shouldn’t have won that game. I attributed it to us being a team; a family, if you will.
In a moment of clarity, I realized that was what we needed to make Lincoln High special after I left. They had to continue to be a family. It applied to other things, like church.
The reverend looked about to start his sermon when I stood up, stepped out into the aisle, and walked towards the pulpit. My mom’s expression told me that I probably shouldn’t have gone with my first instinct, but I’d already drawn attention to myself.
“Mind if I say a few words before you get started?” I asked.
Reverend Jackson just shrugged, which caused the congregation to chuckle nervously.
“With a show of hands, how many of you would rather not be here today?” I asked.
Of course, no one raised their hands.
“Come on. Don’t worry about peer pressure; this isn’t high school. I bet there are a lot of you who would rather be sleeping in. Come one, raise your hands if you would rather be somewhere, strike that,
A few people raised their hands.
“Looks like some of you are brave. Don’t leave them hanging. Who else wants to skip out today?” I asked.
I smiled when I saw the young girl raise hers, and I pointed at her.
“You, get up here,” I said.
“You can’t single people out like that,” the reverend said, coming up to stand next to me.
“Of course I can,” I said to him and stared down the girl until she got up and came up.
“Are you embarrassed?” I asked her.
She blushed and looked away from me.
“I bet your mom is like mine and loves to do that to you,” I said.
The girl looked up at me and nodded.
“You understand why it’s okay for her to do that?” I asked.
She shook her head ‘no.’
“Because she’s family.”
