Wow

As I mentioned in my last post, Nathan broke his toe on Labor Day playing volleyball with us. He hasn't been able to practice football because it hurt, and we took him for x-rays on Wednesday. Turns out he has a "chip fracture" just below the joint on his big toe. The good news is that it's a very stable fracture (according to the dr.), and Nathan can play football with the toe taped as long as he can tolerate the pain.

I emailed the head coach of the team to fill him in, and this is part of the response I got:

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. I KNOW THE FRESHMEN TEAM NEEDS NATHAN THIS WEEKEND AND IT WILL MAKE COACH SCHOBY AND COACH BAILEYS DAY KNOWING THIS NEWS. WE WILL DO WHATEVER YOU WISH AND PRAY FOR A QUICK RECOVERY. THANKS AGAIN FOR ALLOWING YOU SON TO PLAY FOR US. GOD BLESS.

Did I mention that my kids go to a public high school? I am really glad to see our coach's faith shining through in even a fairly routine email to a parent. And he doesn't know me from Adam, know my religion or anything. Very impressive, I think. It makes me very glad that my son does play for him. I think Nathan will learn some important life lessons in addition to increasing his football skill.

I myself am much more circumspect about with whom I say much of a religious nature. Especially in my role as a public school teacher myself. Our coach's example has given me a lot to think about. I try to let God shine through me in the ways that I treat my students and others. I've been working to eliminate my gossip and grumbling against my work authorities. That's a start, I guess, but I'd say our coach's bulb is burning quite a bit brighter than my own.