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Trey, His Friend, and Coach Sheffield


 
See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Tom Landry Story.
Life Lesson #64 – Maintain Your Health.

 

Trey and his friend were walking in the neighborhood one day, and across the street was an empty house where a lady had moved away to live with her son. There were no curtains on the windows. Trey’s friend said, “Watch this!” as he picked up a rock and started to throw it at a big window in the front of the house. Trey grabbed the boy’s arm and shouted, “No! Dude, you can’t do that!”

Just about that time, Coach Sheffield, who had seen what was going on called out to the boys from his house next door. He and his son were just about to go play a little basketball. “Why don’t you boys ask your parents if you can go up to the gym and shoot some hoops with us,” he asked? Well, the boys did just that, and soon they were all having a lot of fun. Coach Sheffield showed them some really great basketball moves, but then he finally stopped and told the boys he saw what they were about to do. He thanked Trey for stopping his friend from throwing the rock, and then he said to the other boy, “Son, do you have a bicycle?” The boy said yes, and Coach Sheffield went on to say, “What if someone cut the tires on your bicycle when you weren’t there to stop them—how would you feel?”

“I don’t know,” said the boy. “Do you think it would hurt your feelings?” said Coach Sheffield. “I guess so,” said the boy. “So, how do you think Mrs. Jackson would feel about your breaking her window?” The boy had not thought about it like that before—he had not even known the lady’s name. Coach Sheffield said, “Respectable people don’t go around hurting others.” Then Trey said, “Yeah, and HEROES HELP others.” Coach Sheffield smiled. He knew the boys were beginning to understand, and if they would always remember what they had just talked about, everything would be fine.

– Jim Lord