John Wooden was the legendary basketball coach at UCLA where his teams won ten national championships in twelve years. He was a mentor and spiritual light to players like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Walton, and others. Coach Wooden loved words, poems, and quotes. Mr Wooden is in heaven now with his beloved wife Nellie. His light still shines through for those who played for him and us who respected his character as much as his coaching.
Here is a sampling from the book Wooden written by the coach and Steve Jamison.
At times when I am feeling low,
I hear from a friend and then
My worries start to go away
and I am on the mend
In spite of all that doctors know,
and their studies never end,
The best cure of all when spirits fall
Is a kind not from a friend.
I am not what I ought to be,
Not what I want to be,
Not what I’m going to be,
But I am thankful that
I am better than I used to be
Looking back it seems to me
All the grief that had to be
Left me when the pain was o’er
Stronger than I was before
What You’re Saying