I was chatting on the phone with a couple today who are good friends of mine up in snowy Wisconsin. The husband, Pete, spent his last Winter in Naples back in '98-'99. He was having trouble walking and his condition kept getting so much worse that they were unable to return the following year. It took the Mayo clinic a year and a half to finally diagnose his ailment as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease. Nobody survives the disease this long but Pete is about the toughest man I've ever known and even though he has been immobile for the last five years he continues to live. My direct conversation was with Pete's DW but Pete was listening in on the speaker phone. As we were talking I saw a friend of theirs walking toward me. The man was extremely busy at the time, was the center of attention in the group of people around him, and his mind was concentrating on the business at hand. As he approached I sort of cut him off and while handing him my iPhone said "Someone in Stevens Point would like to talk to you." He knew immediately who it was and with a smile on his face accepted my phone and started the kind of conversation that only close friends share, filled with support, good wishes, love, and an understanding that it was really good to be communicating. I was tickled to death that Pete and his friend were able to share a little time together under most unusual circumstances.
The busy guy is Steve Stricker, number three ranked golfer in the world, right behind Tiger (ugh) Woods and Phil Mickelson. I volunteer as a marshall on the 9th tee box at the Shark Shootout golf tournament every year and was blessed with the unique opportunity to put my friends and Steve together for a few minutes because none of us know how much longer Pete will be with us.
I watched 24 professional golfers drive the ball off that tee today and Steve's was the best of them all, and he did it with a smile on his face.
Me, I'm still smiling. Their good day made mine.
The busy guy is Steve Stricker, number three ranked golfer in the world, right behind Tiger (ugh) Woods and Phil Mickelson. I volunteer as a marshall on the 9th tee box at the Shark Shootout golf tournament every year and was blessed with the unique opportunity to put my friends and Steve together for a few minutes because none of us know how much longer Pete will be with us.
I watched 24 professional golfers drive the ball off that tee today and Steve's was the best of them all, and he did it with a smile on his face.
Me, I'm still smiling. Their good day made mine.