For right or wrong, much of how I look at myself is through the roles I play. I'm a follower of Jesus Christ; a husband to one awesome woman; a father to four incredible boys; a father-in-law to three (soon to be four!) wonderful daughter-in-laws; a son to Bud Pagel; an adopted/surrogate grandfather to Annaclare, Annika and Allison; a Pastor to a growing church family; a friend.... You get the point!
Recently I have added one more role or title. Monday evening I went to the Metro Youth Football League fields to watch Deshawn play football. He's on a Wash 6th grade team. Deshawn and I have been Lunch Buddies through Big Brothers Big Sisters for the past two plus years.
It was a beautiful evening for football. It was just cool enough for a jacket, perfect football weather. The smell of fall leaves, the sound of parents cheering on their teams, and the glow of the lights breaking through the darkness to illuminate the fields created a memorable evening.
I arrived a little late and was trying to find the field Deshawn's team was playing on. In my search I came across one of Deshawn's friends, who immediately said, "Hey, you're Deshawn's Lunch Buddy!"
In that moment, something incredible happened that I wasn't prepared for - my heart filled with pride! I was honored to be known as Deshawn's "buddy."
I was the only person at the game Monday evening who was there to cheer on Deshawn. His teammates had parents, friends, aunts and uncles at the game to cheer them on. I got photos. Deshawn even scored a touchdown and made a solo tackle! I got to see it all!
Monday night brought back a lot of memories of watching my own sons play Metro football on those same fields. But I also reflected on my new title. I'm Deshawn's Lunch Buddy! It's a title that fills my heart with pride.
Every son needs a father. Every person needs a friend. Every team needs fans. Every boy needs a buddy!
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