More than an Extra Effort Award

“Wait a minute, I know them!” Well, maybe not really know, but I do remember them.

I was watching the local evening news on TV last Friday when it was time for sports. The host started the segment off with the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award. The reporter was at Midway High School, here in Sampson County, honoring Morgan and McKenzie Williams.

This immediately caught my attention. I remember Morgan and McKenzie, not as outstanding athletes and students at Midway, but as little tykes, running around at Bethabara Methodist Church, back at Clement. I would see them when I would go back to my home church with my daddy, and at church homecomings. Their grandparents, Junior and Barbara Lee Williams were faithful church members, and Junior was a good friend of my father.

But now, several years later, McKenzie and Morgan are outstanding seniors at Midway High. The reporter told of how they are involved in playing several different sports, and teachers shared how they are leaders in the classroom. One teacher shared that Morgan and McKenzie were “accountable and humble.” Another said, “They are at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, always.” (I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a teacher say that about me when I was in high school.)

During the segment. Morgan shared about being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease this past February. Crohn’s disease is a chronic disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. Morgan stated that the affliction caused her to lose thirty pounds in three or four months. I have a couple of friends who are dealing with Crohn’s, and it can be difficult for them. I’m sure it’s even more difficult for a teenager. McKenzie has been there for Morgan during this difficult time, and now Morgan is there for McKenize, as she may be facing the same problem.

But what really caught my attention was what Morgan said during the segment about dealing with her battle with Crohn’s disease. She said, “I told myself one day, I can either lay in the bed and feel sorry for myself, or I could do something about it.”

When I heard that, I smiled and thought, “That sounds like something Junior would have said.” Yep, the roots run deep, from one generation to another, and to another. From Bethabara Church, through the Clement community, and now on to Midway.

Over the years, I’ve heard people talk about the tendency of negative traits being passed down from one generation to the next. Those negative traits can range from a bad temper to drug addiction. People discussing this will often call the seemingly passing down of negative traits from one generation to the next, a “generational curse.” I suppose that can be true, and maybe sometimes it is. (But, sometimes it may be more accurately called an “excuse.”)

But on the other hand, what about positive traits being passed down from one generation to the next? What do you call the passing down of traits, like accountability, being humble, doing the right thing, caring for each other, and determination, from one generation to the next, and to the next? The traits that are exhibited by McKenzie and Morgan, highlighted in the Extra Effort Award segment. Positive traits that are passed down from parents, grandparents, and from a community. I call it a “generational blessing.” I know, because I was a recipient of such a blessing from my parents, grandparents, and community. (I just hope I have somewhat carried on that blessing through the years.)

Morgan and McKenzie Williams received the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award surrounded by their cheering teammates. That’s really a neat honor, but they have received much more, a generational blessing. While not a plaque you can hang on a wall, McKenzie and Morgan will find out, as they travel through life, that it’s far more valuable.