tHE FATHER'S EYEs

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the
two of them had a very special relationship.
Even though the son was always on the bench,
his father was always in the stands cheering. He
never missed a game.This young man was still
the smallest of the class when he entered high
school. But his father continued to encourage
him but also made it very clear that he did not
have to play football if he didn't want to.
But the young man loved football and decided
to hang in there. He was determined to try his
best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to
play when he became a senior. All through high
school he never missed a practice nor a game,
but remained a bench warmer all four years.
His faithful father was always in the stands,
always with words of encouragement for him.
When the young man went to college, he
decided to try out for the football team as a
"walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never
make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted
that he kept him on the roste because he
always puts his heart and soul into every
practice, and at the same time, provided the
other members with the spirit and hustle they
badly needed.The news that he had survived
the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to
the nearest phone and called his father. His
father shared his excitement and was sent
season tickets for all the college games.
This persistent young athlete never missed
practice during his four years at college, but he
never got to play in the game.It was the end of
his senior football season, and as he trotted
onto the practice field shortly before the big play
off game, the coach met him with a telegram.
The young man read the telegram and he
became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he
mumbled to the coach, "My father died this
morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?"
The coach put his arm gently around his
shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week
off, son. And don't even plan to come back to
the game on Saturday.
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going
well. In the third quarter, when the team was
ten points behind, a silent young man quietly
slipped into the empty locker room and put on
his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines,
the coach and his players were astounded to
see their faithful teammate back so
soon."Coach, please let me play. I've just got to
play today," said the young man. The coach
pretended not to hear him. There was no way
he wanted his worst player in this close playoff
game. But the young man persisted, and finally
feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All
right," he said."You can go in."
Before long, the coach, the players and
everyone in the stands could not believe their
eyes. This little unknown, who had never
played before was doing everything right. The
opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he
passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team
began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In
the closing seconds of the game, this kid
intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the
winning touchdown.
The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted
him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you've
never heard! Finally, after the stands had
emptied and the team had showered and left
the locker room, the coach noticed that the
young man was sitting quietly in the corner all
alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I
can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what
got into you? How did you do it?"
He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes,
and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did
you know that my dad was blind?" The young
man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad
came to all my games, but today was the first
time he could see me play, and I wanted to
show him I could do it!"

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