As I think most of you know, last few weeks I took a much needed vacation celebrating my son’s HS graduation on a UK soccer trip, followed up with an investment conference (that was not a conference) with my wife in Nashville. That’s how you kick off summer! As both trips deserve their own story, I’ll include the first one in this note and follow up in a week or so with the other—which will also include thoughts from other Spring investment conferences I attended.God Winks, faith and never giving up:
Last year, after encouragement from some of his great local coaches, Matthew took the plunge of leaving family and friends in Charleston to pursue more intense soccer training-games and challenging coursework at a sports academy in FL. In theory, we all thought this would solidify his position into one of his top 10 college choices as the academy had tremendous past success in placing the boys into college and pro programs. Long story short, and in spite of academy coach’s praise and encouragement to pursue his list (of mostly D1 larger schools/cities with good business programs), we heard countless “no’s” from almost everyone on his list, including a surprising ‘no’ from a school that had been recruiting him since sophomore year (they loaded up on portal kids). Now, nobody is going to throw a pity party for a kid with numerous offers… but he had a vision and a dream and these offers weren’t in a location or academic setting he wanted. A change in Academy leadership, the portal, players taking an extra COVID year, and him staying with his goals all conspired to leave Matthew without an accepted offer well past the May college decision deadline. Questions of “so where are you going to college next year?” were all sheepishly unanswered as dorms filled up and emails from different admissions offices were saying, “now or never!” Until his local coaches came to the rescue and made a few calls. For sure the Academy helped his level of play: 5 days a week playing against future college and pro players would make anyone much better. And he is good. But it was the people in Charleston who ultimately made the difference. It was him doing the extra work while in Charleston, most importantly including reaching out and helping the coaches sometimes when they had a need that made him stand out. Not the goals scored, opponents ‘clamped-down’ or the sublime through-ball. People that knew him and knew more of his heart ultimately made the biggest difference. And that is not all to this story. I’m proud that he is a young man of faith. Maybe TMI, but he wanted us to allow him to get a tattoo if he were to leave home and go to the Academy. So, begrudgingly, we considered and asked “what are you thinking?” He wanted a tattoo that said simply FEAR GOD. “What do you mean by that, son?” And this kid who is so quiet, not always the best behaved and quick to challenge authority said, “it’s Old Testament, dad, meaning to truly love, trust and respect God… more than loving him.” Who are you, kid? Needless to say, he has that tat. And late into recruiting, all of us were burning some extra midnight prayer oil to help him find his next journey. Matthew even had a quote he posted above his desk Jeremiah 29:11–“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.” Right after the local coaches made a few calls and the only school remaining from his favorites expressed interest (Radford), another challenge rose up. They wanted him on roster, but not until Spring as their roster was full… and he had to find high quality training until that time. The next sequence of events just seems too farcical to have happened by chance… coincidences of circumstances that I refer to as a ‘God wink’. Shortly after the Radford conversation, another of his local coaches randomly calls me about an opportunity at a pro team (Spartans FC) in Scotland. Now, there are several of these type post graduate programs overseas that we had already considered. However, Matthew did not want to go overseas—to his credit, he wants to focus on getting that college degree. Since we were already going to UK for a father son soccer adventure, why not swing by Edinburgh while we were there? Just a few days before our arrival, Spartans actually won their promotional game, securing a place in the Scottish 2nd League for the first time in 75 years. They were kind enough to send a link, so we watched them and all the fans chant “we are going up” after their win! When visiting, there was a spring in everyone’s step and our guide, who has recognition from the Queen (as MBE) for their charitable work, was understandably in a fantastic mood. When we toured the stadium at Spartans FC in Edinburgh, we were impressed by both the people and the facilities. The soccer academy had an impressive infrastructure and a robust outreach program. They help underprivileged children with after-school education while training them in soccer, even providing cleats for free. Matthew would need to help with these youth, something he actually loves to do. And these efforts help link this beautiful game to a higher purpose, an alignment Matthew and I feel with the Spartans crowd. The staff and personnel there treated Matthew like a five-star recruit. Their warmth and genuine interest in him made us feel welcome and appreciated.We were further honored when they invited us to a match between Hibernian FC and Celtic FC- two celebrated teams in the Scottish first division. Spartans, as it turned out, are a feeder team to Hibernian and there are close ties within the leadership. Hibernian FC triumphed over Celtic for the first time in 12 years—we felt, and were treated like good luck charms. The game was an exhilarating experience and Matthew even got the opportunity to meet the Hibernian players after the match in the locker room.Those were fortuitous events, but the series of improbable coincidences continued. We discovered that one of the board members of Spartans FC had founded the Edinburgh Jazz Festival (most of you know of my deep involvement with Charleston Jazz). We were able to chat with him at his Pub in Leith, where Spartan fans celebrate. The Hibernian owners, to our surprise, also owned a house in our hometown of Mt Pleasant. The dots started connecting further when we learned that they had previously shared players with our local Charleston Battery team.But the ‘God winks’ didn’t stop there. Radford University, where Matthew is to start in Spring, has an affiliate overseas education program just a few miles from Spartans FC. Even the Radford mascot, the Scottish Highlander, seemed to be nudging us in this direction. Their crest has Scottish plaid. The last fortuitous revelation, however, came from my uncle’s research. Upon their insistence that we must have some Scottish ancestry, we found out that my mother’s maiden name, Johnson, originated from the Scottish Highlands. We even had a family crest! His subsequent DNA test confirmed that a significant percentage of our lineage is, indeed, Scottish. These extraordinary coincidences filled us with a sense of divine providence. As Matthew and I ruminated on his choice a few days later at halftime in the EFL final at Wembley discussing these signs and ‘God winks’, he decided right then and there that he was going to Scotland. It was as if all the signs had converged to point towards this one path.Just as we were embracing this decision, a ladybug – a symbol of good luck and fortune in many cultures – landed on Matthew. We both shared a look, no more words were needed. This was the right path for him. God or fate or some higher force was leading him to Scotland, and we were both excited and eager for what lay ahead. The ‘God winks’ had turned into a clarion call for Matthew, and he was ready to answer it. Don’t be surprised if you see us wearing kilts. Those in sport know that the road has many unexpected paths. Perhaps he’s being called into youth missions through soccer. Or perhaps this is his path to his ultimate dream of pro. But through this part of his path I think we’ve both learned a few valuable lessons. As most of these opportunities came from local coaches who know him best, it’s so important to stay kind and appreciative of those who have helped you. I’ve always believed karma catches up both ways. I think his persistence is another good lesson on never giving up on dreams, even when the path is uncertain. Finally and most importantly, I think it’s important to trust in faith/God/karma. Whatever faith you call your own, I think there is a higher plan and it’s important to keep your mind both open and quiet to hear what is being spoken. Whispers or God winks can happen through a lady bug or a strange coincidence if you just watch for them.
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