Saying Goodbye & Thank You

This Monday I attended the funeral of my gymnastics coach from Temple, Ken Anderson. He fought hard against a type of cancer that originated in his mouth & slowly traveled to cause him to lose his sight and hearing on his left side, and eventually took over his body. It was so sad to hear his brave young daughter give an account of all the fun things she used to do with her dad, and how much she loves and misses him.
It helped me to recall his large smile & hearty chuckle and calm nature. I am grateful to this man for offerring me a full athletic scholarship and giving me the opportunity to attend a really good university while competing in the sport I love.
While on the team, I remember thinking it was strange that Ken often would take phone calls from his wife or sometimes even pick up and leave if his family needed him. Now that I have a family of my own I can see that Ken was devoted to his family and put them first before all else. What a great example he was.
Thank you Ken for being a good coach, for giving me such a wonderful opportunity, and for being a good example to us even now. How long will my days be on this earth? Only God knows...but Lord help me to take every opportunity to be with my husband & children...to love them, to care for them, to encourage them, to laugh with them, to treat them as the gifts they are and to enjoy them.