Upon hearing of Coach Mac's passing, I felt sadness and extreme regret, but only briefly. When you love someone, you carry a piece of their spirit and neither time nor distance can obscure it or prevent you from sharing it. I smiled, remembering this.
I smiled the way I smile when I'm considering taking a shortcut on a project at work and I hear Coach's words, "You cheat now. You'll cheat on your wife!" The way I smile when a tough life decision has me tied in knots and I hear Coach say with a shrug, "If it's a strike, swing hard. If it's a ball, let it go." The way I smile remembering Coach wave me around third base: finger swirling, shoulders bouncing with giggles, behind 14-2 in the 6th inning with almost no chance of being safe. The way I smile knowing that Coach never cared how I did, only who I was and who I could become.
I'm a coach now. 4 & 5 year old basketball. Every Saturday, I see smiling kids run up and down the court. They pass the ball to each other, ask me how much longer until the next water break, help each other off the floor, and accidentally play defense on their teammates. I never notice whether their shots go in or if they remember to dribble when they run with the ball. But I know I'm sharing Coach Mac's spirit with them when I shout "Back on defense, All-Stars!" And I can only hope I'm doing it with a smile half the size of his.
