Lunging from his stance, the young football player – himself a kicker and defensive end –lunged toward the football before it could be kicked into an afterpoint.
The opposing kicker’s leg touched ball, rising upward impacting the player in red’s helmet, knocking it off, leg soaring to drop a double blow on the now bare head on the way down to rest position.
This player in red was my son, a sophomore player. It took a couple of weeks, an inability to remember classroom content, an anxiety attack before a doctor trained to identify and treat concussions diagnosed his concussion.
Initially, they thought he’d miss the rest of the school year. They sent him to bed for 2 weeks – no t.v., no video games, no computer – no media. Just rest.
It was the best sleep he ever had, he said later.
It took him at least a month to make up the work he did for those two weeks of school with the concussion + the two weeks of school sleeping the concussion to healing.
Remembering was like a kick in the head.
A few weeks ago, he said, “I don’t remember much from before the concussion.”
My heart dropped to my toes.
Not remember much before your sophomore year, before rebellion kicks in – all the sweet memories, the innocent times, all the love we had to give – living without those memories must be bleak. Dark. Lonely – not remembering the love before the rebellion of youth.
Being the problem solver, the fixer – I decided to create a 30 days of memories. Then, knowing me like I know me – I knew it would take a few months for this to steep in my mind – this vintaging of memories.
As the 30 Days of Memory Project (see – now it’s in caps so it’s almost official, almost at kick off now) – I thought how hard it must be, without a concussion, for a prodigal walking home to wade through the hard memories to find and pull close the sweet rememberings.
How many leave good memories un-vintaged because of the shame of rebellious memories, the hurt-inflicted-on-others memories? You pass those, in the walk back, taking ownership – before you walk far enough back to the good stuff.
Remembering the good-stuff, though, needs to be done. If he can’t do it right now, on his own, whether the concussion or the prodigal path stands in the way, I can help.
I can sort through and pull out the blessing rememberings. They were a gift to him – from God and his family.
Sometimes it takes others to help vintage the good rememberings.
The prodigals walk home retraces the steps that led him away. The retracing, the return is a coming face-to-face with regretful behavior, regretful memories. In remembering the regretful comes true repentance. With true repentance comes forgiveness, with forgiveness comes refreshing.
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,”(Acts 3:19).
He will blot out your sin.
The blotting out of the sin will reveal the history of blessing.
It’s time to vintage the blessing memories.
True forgiveness does that – blots out the dark memories – sheds light on the blessing memories.
Wow, that is a powerful memory, and a horibble concussion!!! That would have scared me to death.
It was a hard time – caught between the shake-it-off mentality and nurturing mom. He needed to have made sure his helmet was more secure. Concussions are also in a culture divide – between those who want our kids in a gerbil ball and not ever experience anything uncomfortable – and those who just by sheer mind over matter – you can push through a sprained ankle and play a soccer game.
Glad you couldn’t stop at 5 minutes either. I feel guilty because I kept going too!
30 Days of Memory Project – wow. What a special woman of God you are! Your words and sentiments here go deep…. Praying for your family.
I’m going to start it in May – doing 30 days. I have to think about what memories I want to vintage. I pulled out photos the other day – it’s just time to let him soak in the goodness of where he came from:) Thank you for your prayers, Lisa!
Maryleigh, my younger daughter sustained a concussion while playing soccer. It was Feb. of her senior year of high school, and we were to the “eleventh hour” with continued headaches, confusion, etc. — praying she would graduate on time. Oh, how your words brought back difficult memories. BUT, God blessed her; she even wrote and delivered the commencement address to her classmates at the residential high school for gifted students she attended. She’s now 29 — and she recently told me there are many pre-concussion things she doesn’t remember. I didn’t know. Perhaps I can help her vintage the blessings. Thank you for the idea. May God bless you and your son as you work on your Memory Project.
Before I do my 30 days, I’m going to be turning things over in my mind. One of the things I thought about was how I cannot replace how he felt about what was going on. I can only re-create the scene from my point of view – but I am confident God will fill it all in for him. If you do vintage your blessings – let me know. I would love to hear about your experience with it.
Hi Dear Maryleigh. I CANNOT imagine what you’re going through with your sweet son. I do pray this project will help restore the memories lost. I trust that God will use this to build a wonderful man of God.
Concussions are awful injuries and I’m glad people are paying more attention and caution now especially with contact sports. I’m sorry that your son had to go through that but what a wonderful mom who took on that project to help him with his recovery…It reminds me of how our good Father is also keeping a journal for us. We might forget Him but He never wanders far from us. It is us who do. Blessings to you sister.
Oh wow! My heart would drop to my stomach if I heard those words too!
Janelle Marie
Oh, the mother heart in me was so touched. A dreadful accident–but to lose memory. How beautiful to aid in the memories.
Sorry to hear about your son’s concussion. Makes me smile hearing how you’re finding the blessing in it. Thanks for sharing your story!