Growing up without cable, my childhood summers were filled mostly with games – Monopoly, Aggravation, Yahtzee. And card games – rummy, spades, even poker (no money passed hands, of course, as we had no money to bet).
One of my favorite games was 21, as we called it (probably known by most as black jack).
I loved the math. Calculating what you had. The odds of getting close to 21 points without going over. The exhilaration of winning. The emotion of busting.
21 was the magic number. It was the winning number!
This Saturday as I was running errands, I heard a story about a Hocking College football player whose number is 21.
He made history back in September by kicking an extra point.
An extra point? In football? What’s so special about that? Extra points have become so routine in the pros that they moved them back 15 yards just to add a little suspense to the attempt.
What made this extra point historic was that the young man kicking, wearing the number 21, has Down Syndrome. As many of you know, I have a special place in my heart for people with Down Syndrome.
Caden Cox became the first person with Down Syndrome in College Football history to score a point in a game.
No doubt along Caden’s way towards his goal he was told (or it was implied to him) that a person with Down Syndrome should not __________ (I will let you fill in the blank). Rather than listening to their “advice,” he persevered and made the most of his talents.
I have a special place in my heart for people who do not give up. Those who face daily life challenges that often seem overwhelming, yet they continue to work at doing the things they need to do. Working toward their personal goals.
In life we sometimes allow others to place limitations on us. Sometimes we believe what others tell us we are or are not capable of instead of believing in ourselves.
On the other side of the coin, how often do we place limitations on others, limiting them to what we think they can or can not do? Perhaps we do this because it takes work on our part to help the other person achieve their goals. We are too busy with ourselves to worry about others.
Thanksgiving is a time of reflection. A time to give thanks for our blessings.
Maybe this year you will consider what blessings you have given or could give to others through your work or actions.
That emotional rush is even better than hitting 21 and lasts with you forever!
Happy Thanksgiving.
Stay safe.
– Leton
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“Letters From Leton” is a blog series comprised of the weekly updates that Leton Harding – President, Chairman, and CEO of Powell Valley National Bank, shares with the Bank’s team members. These newsletters are full of uplifting anecdotes and intriguing insights that are applicable beyond the Bank, so we want to share them with you.
