Saturday, June 30, 2007
Sayson: Now 40, and still going strong
By Homer Sayson
CHICAGO - Just like the NBA, success in real life often depends on a key teammate, someone who can help you carry the load when this crazy world’s burdens become unfairly heavy.
Magic Johnson had several All-Star peers around him during the course of his brilliant career, but it was the steady hand of Kareem-Abdul Jabbar which helped the Showtime Lakers cement their place in history.
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Larry Bird could do it all, pass, shoot, dribble, rebound and play defense. But it was the luxury of having a Kevin McHale on the other side of the post that aided Bird to fly with the NBA title in 1984 and 1986.
All-time assists leader John Stockton always found the open guy, but it was the consistent delivery of Karl “the Mailman” Malone that made Stockton a household name and one of the best point guards ever.
Even Shaquille O’Neal, arguably the strongest man on the planet, needs some help. He leaned on Penny Hardaway in Orlando, teamed for three championships with Kobe in Los Angeles, before migrating to Miami and capturing another gem with Dwayne Wade.
Few, however, are more blessed than others.
Such as Tim Duncan, who has not one, but two lifelines: fellow All-Stars Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
In the 38 years that I’ve competed with life, wrestling with its trials and tribulations, I feel like Tim Duncan.
Because I’m also blessed with two of the greatest teammates in the world.
My pair of lifelines has tirelessly carried me from darkness to light, through good times and bad. And they’ve done it so willingly, without ever asking anything in return.
It’s crazy. It’s wonderful. It’s like having two best friends. And on this special day, allow me to honor them.
One is an intrepid ex-homicide cop. He is firm but fair, tough as a stiff leather belt. The other is a retired, and modestly acclaimed, professional singer. She is a bottomless pit of love. Caring beyond words, genuinely sweet as honey, and sentimental like a puddle of tears.
They’re my parents. Arturo and Erlinda Sayson. To their closest friends, they’re simply Tursay and Linda Dajao.
Papa and Mama observe their 40th wedding anniversary today. It’s a happy union that has bred four children and six grandchildren. And even after those 40 years, theirs is a love that keeps growing, like an old mountain reaching out to touch the skies.
Thank you, papa and mama, for giving me, my brothers Jordan and Sigfred and sister Sam, the gift of life. And thanks a million for nurturing those lives, for allowing it to grow, to blossom, and eventually, create more lives beyond their own.
I was only 26 when I first became a dad in 1994. I had no clue what fatherhood meant, what to expect, what to look forward to. My father gave me an idea when he said: “For the first time in your life, your heart will wander out of your chest.”
Nearly four years ago, I became a dad for the third time. And when I get the chance to tuck A.J. to bed at night, Tursay’s words echo in my mind. I’m still amazed at how right he was. You see, like my two other kids, Lorenz and Faith, I love AJ more than I love myself.
All these days in my life, papa and mama have been with me. Rejoicing over my highs, crying over my lows.
I don’t know if I could ever pay them back. But I want them to appreciate how grateful I am. And I want them to know that I would never be where I’m at now without them.
I love you, mom and dad, and I promise to give my children the love you’ve given me. Unconditional. Pure. And endless.
Happy Anniversary!
(homsay@hotmail.com)
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