Often times our home is where our heart is. Think back to just two weeks ago. We are frantically packing our bags in the midst of varying thoughts bouncing in our heads just before embarking on a new journey. That final day at home we embrace the nostalgic memories as our tear filled eyes hug our friends and family. Without those seemingly stress free nights with friends and our favorite high school days, to our home-cooked meals and our last talk with our beloved pets, we wouldn’t know what true love is. Although it may have been a somber goodbye, we must realize how lucky we are to have our roots planted in a place saturated in love and comfort.
When we find ourselves overwhelmed with school and relationships, we wish upon those simpler times such as our childhood. Our 12 homework assignments were replaced by a piano lessen, a couple of chores, or a relaxing night watching Drake and Josh. Think back to being 13 years old again. You are getting anxious as you count down the days until high school. You are figuring out what makes you… you, or in some cases how to tie your shoes. You can finally start to ride your bike to your friend’s house without the supervision of overly protective parents. Your worries range from who’s going to make the all-star team in the local little league to begging your parents to make mac and cheese along with dinosaur chicken nuggets. What a simple life, wait, catch me a Go-Gurt. Just like that, our attention spans were short as we were approaching the cusp of what it’s like to be mature.
All of a sudden you hear, “I don’t like the look of you, you gotta go.”
Where would you go?
Let me introduce to you, Jimmy Butler.
A small town Texas cowboy who grew up without a father and heard those exact words at the age of 13 from his mother. For the majority of his high school days he didn’t know where he was going to be able to lay his head down at night. He bounced around from one friend’s house to another until his senior year. On the basketball playground he met Jordan Leslie, a star football player for the high school team. Jordan begged his mom, Michelle Lambert, to let Jimmy stay over. Despite always hiding upstairs for the majority of the day, he became a role model for the younger kids in the house that he was eventually and permanently able to call home. All he needed was a home to blossom into his own, as he averaged 20 points per game while being named team captain during his senior year basketball season.
Too little, too late. Jimmy was looking for a full scholarship to play basketball after his breakout senior season and received one offer, but he felt undervalued. He decided to attend junior college to give himself time to gain attention. After his junior college season he received multiple big time offers, but decided on Marquette University for academic reasons. Under head coach Buzz Williams, Jimmy did not see much playing time until his junior year. He would often call home to Michelle crying that he wanted to come home. Michelle and Buzz were tough on and Jimmy and made him fight through it. Jimmy knew what it was like to feel without having a place. Parallel to his senior year in high school, Jimmy averaged 16 points for Marquette in his final year which earned him being a first round pick in the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.
Eight years and 77 million dollars later, Jimmy has proved everyone wrong. All it took was a home and some self investment. In the next four years he is projected to earn 141 million dollars with the Miami Heat. Despite his big wallet, his smile is even bigger.
In fact he still wears his Texas boots and listens to country music, not to relive the dreadful days of homelessness, but to capture how far he has come. When he found himself pacing the streets alone or hiding out of sheer embarrassment from his new family, he knew he needed just one thing, a place to call home. No matter how far we may want to distance ourselves from our past, we must remember appreciate where we came from. At times it feels like a rush to leave home, but trust me, one day you’ll be rushing to go back.
I would be mistaken to say that each of you don’t have a story of your own. A story is one thing, but what you do with it shows your character. Don’t beg for pity, promote other’s power. If you don’t have any miracles, be someone else’s. Your will to overcome won’t just benefit you, it will encourage others with the same struggles. So fight on. When life hits you down, get up and smile because you just became a stronger person.