FROM THE SON OF THE MEDINA MYSTIC

One of the worst butt-whoopin's I got was at a football game when I was 11 years old. My dad was coaching offense from the pressbox and his team was outmatched that day. On this particular offensive possession, they'd had two rough downs deep in their own territory and found themselves in a 3rd-and-17 situation. Dad figures it's best to get what he can on 3rd down, punt, and let Leland and the defense try to stop them; so he calls for the draw play (a run up the middle). They get crushed for a loss on the play. 4th down. So I stand up, turn around and yell toward the press box "Dad, on third and long you're supposed to THROW the ball!!!" The crowd goes nuts...as does Chili Pepper, who promptly takes me behind the stands and wears my tail out. Sometimes I wonder if she did that out of embarassment or on account of my public disrespect of Dad's playcalling? Either way, I deserved it.

Dad's had a pretty rough go of things since his last post. First off, he suffered one and maybe two heart attacks. That put him in the hospital where they found out that he has Acute Myloid Leukemia. Turns out that the heart attack was a good thing. Without it, the doctors probably wouldn't have caught the leukemia in time. Since he had both a heart attack and leukemia, he's in ICU receiving the best care the hospital can provide. We're told that if you're going to have leukemia, the kind Dad has is the best one since it's the most responsive to treatment.

In a way, it's third-and-long again. So, Dad, are you going to run or throw? Whatever you do, just don't take a kneel-down. Now's not the time to run out the clock. It's never too late to put a few more points on the internal scoreboard. Providence has dictated the outcome, so give it your best shot and, run or throw, I'm proud of you.

Thanks for reading. The Mystic appreciates your prayers!

"What is fate? Fate is this—Whatever is, must be. But there is a difference between that and Providence. Providence says, Whatever God ordains must be; but the wisdom of God never ordains any thing without a purpose. Every thing in this world is working for some one great end." - C.H. Spurgeon