One of the sweetest songs of the holiday season starts out with the most embracing lyrics. “Silent Night! Holy Night! All is calm all is bright. Round young virgin mother and child holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace!” I heard this song countless times throughout my childhood, and now hearing it as an adult I am reminded of how simple life was back then when songs like Silent Night would play during the holiday festivities.
During those times, life seemed to be full of excitement, and the possibilities of miracles seemed closer then ever. As children life can be like a jigsaw puzzle. We wake up each day with a mindset of hope and happiness, and our cares are never about where we would get the next piece of the puzzle. Our main concern was getting the next piece and making it fit into whatever we were doing at the time. As we grow older and become adults we are able to look back on the puzzle of our youth and see how much life has changed. We can see how life today, isn’t what it was for us yesterday. Looking back, we are able to see how valuable those times were when life did not have to make sense, it just had to be fun.
“Those were the good days.” As my grandmother would say whenever she reflected upon her younger years. She would always harken back to the days when she said she could sleep with the doors unlocked, and allow the kids to play outside. The conclusion to her stories were always the same, “But times are different now.” This statement did not hit home until I became an adult. Times are truly different, there are more things going on in our world today that would make my grandmother retract statement only to add emphasis on her younger years. If she looked through the lens of children nowadays, she would see the overwhelming need for people to call on God more so now than ever.
The need to tap into a higher power reaches to the poorest of people to those with wealth and power. When you think about how our world has changed no one is exempt, especially professional athletes. Professional athletes in this country are viewed as role models and the spotlight is continuously shining on their lives. For some, this spotlight can become blinding; causing them to see life only through the eyes of having things. It is my prayer for the new year that those who are being held hostage by fame and fortune receive liberation from the burning spotlight of success. It is my wish that we turn back to what really matters as we head into this New Year.
We welcome Ebony and Tory Humphrey to our Pro Player Insiders’ family. Tory is a tight end for the New Orleans Saints. He and Ebony are big believers in helping others and together have worked with foundations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Saginaw, Humphrey Feed The Homeless, The Humphrey Helping Hands Foundation, Saginaw Rescue Mission of Saginaw, MI.
Ebony is well aware of the bling bling view of ‘Ballers Wives’ portrayed in the media and she wants to counter that stereotype and show that women can be married to high profile individuals and still live a virtuous life. She will be sharing the stories and struggles that players and their families face and how they overcome them.
Follow on Twitter @ EBH_Ministries @ToryHumphrey and @PlayerInsiders
