Senior Year Box Set

We drove back to my place and watched a movie. It seemed like Cassidy and Don liked each other. I simply enjoyed Brook’s company, so I didn’t pay close attention. I would have preferred to have just spent time with Brook alone, but for Cassidy, I was willing to help out.

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Chapter 3 – Frenemy Sunday August 28

When I came down for church, Mom told me we were going to Uncle John’s instead. Chuck drew the short straw and was our driver. Dad claimed shotgun, and that left me in the back, talking to my mom. Somehow, we got onto the topic of religion.

“The way I see it, the Old Testament is about loyalty and keeping your word. Period. The New Testament is about love and sacrifice. And when I say love, I don’t mean sex; I mean compassion, understanding, tolerance, forgiveness, sacrifice, and patience,” I explained.

“Okay. So how do you fit that into your everyday life?” Mom asked.

I thought about it for a moment.

“From my perspective, religion gives you a moral compass. It helps you make better decisions.”

“What about faith?”

“Faith alone can’t accomplish anything. But faith in combination with inspired and thoughtful action can move mountains. You can help people if that’s what you genuinely want to do, but you need to provide inspiration and motivation to make that happen.

“My pet peeve is when people throw up their hands and say ‘God will provide’ or ‘He will decide.’ God gave us free will. If he were going to run our lives, he wouldn’t have let us decide for ourselves,” I said.

I guess Dad had heard enough.

“I talked to Caryn. They’ve arranged your recruiting trips.”

“Our first one is next weekend, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Wisconsin. We’re leaving after your Orange/Blue game to drive up. It looks like Tim and Wolf’s dads will be joining us.”

“I call shotgun!”

I could imagine them putting the three of us in the back row. Wolf, Tim, and I were big boys, and it would be cramped.

◊◊◊

When we got to my uncle’s farm, Bonnie had brunch ready. Once we were done, Uncle John looked at me.

“Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested.

I looked around, and everyone stared back at me. Crud! This was some kind of intervention.

“Okay.”

We headed along the fence row in silence. I wasn’t falling for the talking-first game. If my uncle had something to say, he needed to get the ball rolling. He glanced over at me with a sly smile.

“There’s no doubt you’re a Dawson.”

“Was there ever any?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“No,” he said and then got to the point. “I thought it might be time we took a step back and looked at the big picture. You’ve been going nonstop for three years now. You’re about to enter your last year of high school and need to start considering what comes after.”

“Where do you want to start?” I asked.

“Where do you see your life going? What legacy do you want to leave?” Uncle John asked.

“What do you mean?”

“If you could look back on your life, what would you like to accomplish?”

“I can’t even decide whether I want to play football, baseball, or do movies after college. I have no idea what the future holds,” I said.

“They’re just a means to an end. You could skip all that and merely live off what you’ll make in the next year and a half, with the movie deals you have in place. If you’re honest with yourself, you don’t have to do any of those things. You could retire and get married. Give Coby a bunch of little brothers and help them find their way.

“I guess what I’m asking is, regardless of which path you take, what’s the final destination?” Uncle John asked.

“Down the road, I want to look back and see that the people closest to me all achieved their dreams. I’d like to see that all the little ones have grown to their full potential. I want to feel that I have helped others. As much as anything else, I want to make a difference. I can’t really imagine myself sitting around and just enjoying life. I want to feel that I was useful.”

“Is there something specific you want to accomplish?”

“You mean like bring peace to, and end hunger for, the world?” I asked.

“Good. Pick one and think about what it would take to accomplish it, and how it would change your life goals. How would it affect your friends and family? Who would you have to bring into your circles of trust? Do you see where I’m going with this?” Uncle John asked.

“Why is this something I need to worry about now?” I asked.

“Because it will help you decide on what college you attend, whether you play college ball or focus on your studies, do you continue making movies, and so on. My dad sat me down when I was your age. Everyone knew your dad didn’t want to follow your grandfather into politics, and it was put to me that I was the successor.