Kevin Hensley
In a nutshell, this calendar has been nothing short of challenging.
But throughout the course of life, I find myself continually amazed by God’s ability to put the problems you are facing in perspective. He’s good at keeping us humble; I will graciously admit that reminders of my role in the world are needed, daily (and if you are being honest, so do you).
Even if you do not follow the religious path in life, you have to appreciate what I am about to recap from Friday night. There are still good individuals in the world – sometimes, it’s nice to step back and see that as part of the bigger picture, rather than think everyone is ganging up on you.
We had just signed off the broadcast of Robbinsville’s home playoff game when the door to the press box at Big Oaks Stadium swung open. It was two members of our sports team, who had just returned from taking pictures on the sidelines. Their faces were painted with shock.
“We need some help out here. Somebody just fell,” one of them stammered to me.
Anyone who has seen the steps leading up to the press box knows they are narrow and – until shingles were recently nailed in place – slippery when wet. I looked out the door and to the bottom of the stairs, where a Thomasville assistant coach lay on the ground, writhing in pain.
As we pieced together, he simply tripped just three steps from the ground. A stool and tripod he was carrying hit first, but he definitely landed hard. The man was 79 years old and blood was pouring from his nose (later determined to be broken).
It was at that very moment allegiances no longer matter. People from Robbinsville flocked to his aid, as did the Thomasville coaches who heard what happened. Concern for another human being took the spotlight away from the intense game we had just watched play out on Bob Colvin Field.
In a matter of 15 minutes, EMTs had stopped the bleeding, recommended an ER visit closer to home and helped the man to his feet. The broken nose meant black eyes were imminent, which caused the coach to make the famous quip, “I’ll tell them, ‘You should see the other guy.’”
We were all relieved. But in the moment of him lying on the ground, struggling to gather his bearings, I was floored by the overwhelming expression of concern.
That’s the way it should be. That’s the way we all should be. There was a time – not that long ago – when stopping to help someone broken down on the side of the road was second-nature: you just did it, because it was the right thing to do. Now, you have to be worried about hidden motives – and from all that we see and hear on a daily basis, one can never be too careful.
As the coach was loaded onto the team bus and the crowd dispersed, I made my usual trek up the hill to load the car and leave. But a thought kept lingering that I wanted to leave with all of you: with all the divisiveness in today’s society, how do we reset to a time when we were more concerned about our fellow man than ourselves?
It’s definitely some food for thought.
Kevin Hensley is the publisher/editor of The Graham Star. He can be reached via phone, 828-479-3383; email, editor@grahamstar.com; or on X, @KevinHensleyCNI.