52 – Outings – Oh Yeah!

Today I took Dad and Albert to Jordan’s basketball game. It’s been a long time since either one has been to a game and they were excited to get out of the house. I was happy to take them and knew it would be an interesting outing. Jordan has been playing basketball for three years now and before the stroke, Albert and I went to all of Jordan’s games. After the stroke, Albert’s ability to attend the games has been limited, but tonight both Albert and Dad were able to go to this game. 

Dad lives about 30 minutes away from our house, but we drove the extra miles to pick him up in order for him to be able to watch Jordan play ball. When we arrived at the gym, there was a junior varsity game going on before the varsity basketball game and I knew that we had to be very strategic about the time we walked into the gym.  I scanned the bleachers to make sure that there were seats available in the vicinity that we wanted to sit and I saw the perfect seats. We walked in slowly before the JV game ended and made our way toward our seats.

When we got to the area that I scoped out, Albert and Dad wanted to sit in the upper bleachers but with no railings, I knew this would be difficult. I was able to get them up to walk up three stairs and we sat three seats from the bottom of the court. After some time, we were seated comfortably. I thought to myself that I would go to the concession stands if they wanted food, but they would have to wait until the end of the game to go to the restroom. My goal was for us to stay in the stands until the game was over.

We had the best seats in the gym as we watched Jordan play basketball. He ran up and down the court shooting jump shots, making layups, and nailing free throws. It was an exciting game. Dad and Albert yelled for Jordan throughout the game. I hadn’t heard Jordan’s name yelled so many times in so few minutes. The smiles, laughter, and cheerfulness in their voices and on their faces were unbelievable. It made me happy to see them both so happy. 

It was a fun evening even though our team lost the game. Dad, Albert, and I waited for most of the crowd to disperse before we made an effort to leave.  Both of them stood up and were ready to walk down the stairs when they realized that they could not get down the stairs without help.  One of our player’s dads had been watching us and came to our rescue.  He stood on one side of Dad as I stood on his other side and together we assisted him down the stairs.  Then we helped Albert down the stairs.  We thanked the parent for his help, and he stated that this wasn’t a problem and that he was happy to help.

Dad, Albert, and I saw Jordan on the court as he walked toward us. We congratulated him on how well he played.  Jordan smiled widely and was proud to have his dad and grandpa in the stands cheering him on as he played basketball. We said our goodbyes and walked out of the gym.  It was an evening well spent with the family.  

Age and disability don’t stop adults from having the desire to live an abundant life. They want joy, happiness, and laughter. They want to be able to live the life that they had before age and disabilities brought havoc in their lives. Taking time to meet the needs of Albert and Dad takes patience and temperance.  These qualities are found in Christ Jesus and in him, these qualities will abound in you.