Celebrating anniversaries is a big part of our culture. Some are joyful, like wedding anniversaries. This August my wife and I plan to celebrate our 37th. Others are more profound and remind us of heroic accomplishments that forever changed history. At the top of that list will forever sit D-Day, June 6, 1944. Next year will be the 80th anniversary of that historic day. If you’ve never visited the American cemetery above Omaha Beach, I suggest you add it to your bucket list.
There are all sorts of important anniversaries in the world of sports. Two Saturdays ago, at the 155th Belmont stakes, one occurred in Triple Crown horse racing. This year’s race was the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s epic triumph when the greatest racehorse of all time won the Triple Crown and set a record that may never be broken. During future anniversaries of this year’s race, horseracing fans will remember that Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. In an interview shortly after the race she was asked to put into words her historic accomplishment. One comment she made resonated with me. She said, “When you can’t get a seat at the table, make your own table.” No complaining, no blaming others, just find a way to pursue your dream and then work your rear end off. Not bad advice…
The winning jockey, Javier Castellano, also had some remarkable sentiments right after winning his first Belmont Stakes. He first thanked his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Then he thanked the horse, the owner, and the trainer. He was thankful, not boastful in any way. I found it refreshing. No, it was more than that. It was inspiring.
One of the greatest athletes of all time, Jim Brown, died recently. Many people believe Brown was the greatest football player of all time and also the greatest lacrosse player of all time. No other athlete can make the claim to be the best ever in two sports. Brown was controversial, certainly flawed, but there is no denying his athletic greatness. I hope that present day writers and historians, when focusing their attention on Brown’s off-the-field problems, will not overlook his amazing accomplishments on the gridiron. There may never be another man quite like Jim Brown. 2024 will be the 60th anniversary of Brown’s only NFL championship won with the Cleveland Browns in 1964.
Like it or not, the anniversary of every memorable event brings back memories, even ones we would rather forget. History can be painful. And we can’t change it. Which is why it makes sense to be as intentional as we can be about, well, everything we are doing. Not all memorable events start out that way, but the mundane can become memorable very quickly and somewhat randomly. What does all this mean? In my mind it means that every day we have the opportunity to do something unique, to change course, to discover something yet unknown. We can establish a new tradition or relationship, or end something harmful or counterproductive. If we lived each day, hoping that a year later we will look back and relish that anniversary, how would our focus today be different? When I coach basketball, I tell my players not to waste a day. Not even a single minute of the day. I want them to be intentional, which I don’t believe comes naturally. One year from today can be the anniversary of something special. What will that be? For you or me, or for our country? That’s a hopeful thought, which is a good place to start, perhaps…
I hope that in one year we will look back and celebrate the emergence of integrity as the primary core value lived out in all we do.
I hope that in one year we will look back and celebrate the reemergence of real community and fellowship throughout this great land.
I hope that in one year we will look back and celebrate great efforts, individual and collective, to help the less fortunate.
These, and other hopes like it, are only possible if we are intentional about thinking differently, and about setting high and worthy goals. Moreover, we have to develop a servant leadership mindset because everything we do impacts someone else in some way.
Today can be the pre-anniversary of something special. What will that be and who will create it? We can only wonder…