Wednesday, March 12, 2008

A True Southern Gentleman

Photo courtesy of AP
Brett Favre,# 4 - he retired last week after 17 years and the game of football has lost one of it greatest. Brett Favre grew up much like I did in a little small town about 30 min from the MS Gulf Coast. I always admired and respected him because he never forget where he came from or as we say in the south "how he was raised". He always played the game with heart and soul. I will miss seeing him play each fall but football fans knew it was inevitable. I remember watching the playoff game with the Giants and they showed a shot of him in the tunnel before going on the field and it seemed that he had a bittersweet expression on his face as though he knew it was his last game.Oftentimes when I am at work and people will talk about men from the south Brett comes to mind. I always respected that he was a simple man who wasn't afraid of hard work and that even with all the money and fame he had he still liked nothing better than working on his farm in Mississippi and mowing his yard. I also admired him because after Hurricane Katrina which directly affected lots of people where he lived and grew up he and the Manning boys(Eli and Peyton) gave back a lot to these devastated communities that many outside of MS never heard of.

In the interview he gave upon his retirement with tears streaming down his face he gave these comments.

"All good things come to an end,” he said, pausing, trying to hold on to the moment, unable to complete the sentence. “I've given everything I possibly can give…to the game of football, and I don't think I've got anything left to give, and that's it. I know I can play, but I don't think I want to. And that's really what it comes down to.” “It was never about the money or fame or records, and I hear people talk about your accomplishments and things ... It was never my accomplishments, it was our accomplishments, the teammates that I've played with, and I can name so many. It was never about me, it was about everybody else.”

This is what made him a great football player and more importantly a Man.He is what a sports hero should be about.

In his words also is advice to all of us I think on the value of hard work and teamwork and always showing up to do the job at hand.

My job as a nurse is hard but it is about showing up too and last week I had one of those moments when I was glad to be a nurse and remembered why I chose the profession. I had a patient who only in her mid 50's had been told that she had only days to a few weeks to live and we talked about hospice and my experiences with my mom and dad and at the end of the conversation when we were both crying and I hugged her I knew that maybe I had made a difference that day. There are just some patients that stay with you and touch your soul in a special way and that was one. I hope that day I maybe made a difference.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while DARING GREATLY so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt



11 comments:

Anonymous said...

In the days of million dollar athletes who behave poorly, both on and off the field, there was none finer than #4. While he was a nemesis of my team, the 49ers, I always enjoyed watching him play with passion and genuine love for the game, his teammates and the fans. He truly was one in a million!

Tom said...

I reallyenjoy reading this fitting tribute to one of your hero, I have never heard of this man.. but can tell from your accout what a great person he was.. these are the men and women who make role models for the one to follow.
You yourself do a great job I'm sure.. I recall a few nurses who have gone that extra mile at times.. not just for me but for others. It might just be a smile at the right moment, or once when I was feeling very low a nurse just tweaked my toe as she walked past. It was a friendly geasture and one that lifted my spirits at that low time. All nurse are hero in there own right.

nonizamboni said...

Yolanda, what an uplifting and truthful post, especially the Teddy Roosevelt quote. . .you must be an invaluable addition to the hospital.
People were heartbroken around here when Brett Favre retired--Wisconsinites and Minnesotans alike. Truly a hero.
Glad you liked the hollyhocks. Me too.

Anonymous said...

A very well written and moving tribute, Yolanda.

As to making a difference, I think you underestimate yourself. The nurses who cheered me on through the very difficult labour and birth of my son, and who supported my husband, will never really know what a difference their cheer and humour and efficiency made, even after I thanked them. And it was their human-ness, in the face of the cooly collected doctors, that made us appreciate them so much.

Trust me, there are people every day whose lives you touch as a nurse, and who you make a difference to.

Annie Z said...

I loved reading one of your experiences as a nurse. These are the things that make life worthwhile being able to help others in such an impacting way.

Adrienne said...

Those moments when you realize why you love what you do are priceless. Time that isn't reflected on a timecard, not written about in the newspaper and unseen by many. Just time when you know you've made a difference. That's what my week has been. Time to realize how much I love what I do. ~Adrienne~

Evelyn said...

I love this blog. If only there were more people that felt this way. I so admire people with these values.

I am sure you made a difference that day with the woman you wrote about.

Carver said...

I love the Theodore Roosevelt quote. I have no doubt that you made a difference to the patient who was facing the end of her life and who you could discuss hospice with, and relate your experiences with your parents. I went through end of life with both of my parents and it had a profound affect on me. This post resonated with me at so many levels even though I don't follow football and wasn't familiar with Brett Favre.

Willow said...

If you go to the spun with tears site you can put in your blog site (go to your posts page and click on view for your post, then copy and paste it to the spun with tears site (you list your name, your email, and your post on three different lines). Did I explain that clearly?

The nurses who cared for my father in his last years all loved him. When he passed away, they were not able to come to the funeral, so we had a service at the nursing home just for them and the other residents. One nurse took a program we had printed to keep in her memory box of special patients. Do you have a box like that? (Maybe I should do that for special students.)

Tammy Brierly said...

I'm very sure you have made a difference in many lives as a nurse. My mom was a nurse too.


My husband only watched one team and one sport. the Packers football team. We taped all of his retirement and old footage. Dave can not yet watch. Pure class!

Shelby said...

oh I loved reading this!