Dreams do come true

"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity."
-Nair, Keshavan

This week I have had the opportunity to see courage up close.

When I told Brandt about one of the kids that had tried out for the team and some of his circumstance that not only physically handicapped him from making the team, but also made his life challenging (father passing away 11 mos ago, mother losing job, etc..) he wanted to do something for this kid to give him a lift. Each day a new challenge seems to confront this family, and they never fail to face it with optimism.

Today I brought the crew out to shoot b-roll of this kid and his little brothers shooting hoops in their driveway. We arranged for Thurl Bailey (one of the kids' heroes) to show up with Brandt and surprise them. They brought a signed ball, flash gear, season tickets and an offer for this boy to help with the team in training camp. Pretty great surprise for kids who get excited by a yearly chance to go out to dinner.

When they drove up in their Mercedes hummer-like car the boys and their mom were wondering who was there. I asked them if they were expecting anyone and the 16 yr old turned to me and said, "We don't know ANYONE who would drive....that!" As they watched, Thurl and Brandt climbed out of the car, and their jaws dropped. They immediately recognized Thurl and they were thrilled.

The mom got up and said, "Oh my gosh - Thurl Bailey at our house. They love you." The boys were excited by everything and couldn't believe an actual NBA player was at THEIR house. Fred got to play horse with Thurl and was excited to tell everyone he got to play horse against an NBA player.

Their mother summed it up by saying, "This all happened because my son had the courage to go out and do something that nobody else thought he should do. Good things happen when you believe in yourself and try, even if it's not what you anticipate." The youngest boy looked at me and said, "This was the best day of my life. I forgot that good things can happen."

It was so generous of Thurl and Brandt to make this happen and it was amazing to be a small part of it and a witness to it as we captured it on film.