Chris Pobst: Like a ROCK!

"He, like a rock in the sea, unshaken, stands his ground." ~ Virgil

Happy Thursday JWT Crew. I hope you got to read the story yesterday about "General" John Patton of Kennett, MO. If you didn't, check it out.

Today's story actually began years ago in a little town called Morley, MO. It's one of those little dots on the map, but it's where I grew up, and it's also where I began my coaching career. I was 17 years old, still a senior in high school, and the little league baseball team didn't have a coach.

So I decided to coach. We had a decent little team. We had two good pitchers, we could hit a little bit, and we managed to catch the ball most of the time. Early on, the only thing we were missing was a good catcher. I managed to talk this 9 year old kid into giving it a try. He had no idea what he just signed up for.

His name was Chris Pobst. We called him 'Rock,'

We told Chris had had to "be a rock" and not let the ball past him. The name just stuck. That group of boys managed to finish above .500 and beat every team in the league at least once. That was a big deal, since our school was traditionally horrible at baseball and we were playing kids that would grow up and go to state at schools like Oran and Cape Notre Dame.

These days Chris is a sportswriter for the Standard Democrat, a newspaper based out of Sikeston, MO. Chris wanted to talk about his father. I actually know both of Chris's parents, and I told him after I read what he wrote, "I can actually hear your dad saying that."

I'll shut up and let Chris take it from here:

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My father isn’t a man of many words, but when he speaks his audience is typically eager to listen. That’s me. I’ve been one of those people who tends to linger on every word Chuck Pobst says, and though the good Lord wouldn’t like me to repeat many of those, in times of trouble, worry or doubt, my dad’s simple wisdom has kept me going in my toughest of hardships.

He won’t be confused with great speakers or philosophers of our time, but the meanings behind his advice could stand among them. And it’s not really what he says. It’s the conviction and purpose behind them that carries most of the weight because of the countless examples of loyalty, work ethic and love for his family that he’s set before. Things like, “Nothing ain’t worth doing if you ain’t going to do it right,” or “Life is hard. It doesn’t slow down for anybody, but you have to keep going.”

Those two sayings run through my mind nearly every day. They may be simple, but the meanings behind them are invaluable cornerstones of perseverance, which is essential to overcome the inevitable odds that you will face in life.

I’d be an absolute fool if I also didn’t mention my daughter as one of my biggest influences as well. Typically your heroes or people you look up to are older than you, but that’s not always the case. I’ve learned nearly everything I know about being a father of four from my first-born, Elijah.

Elijah was born with Down syndrome when I was a ripe 18-year old teenager. Knowing nothing about how to take care of another life, much less one that would require a little extra attention, my world flipped in an instant. Therapy, conferences and a whole lot of white cheddar Cheetos later, Elijah taught me patience, meeting and overcoming challenges with persistence and a care for others like no one ever had.

You see Elijah looks at the world and the people in it like everyone should. She doesn’t see status, color, gender. She sees one of God’s greatest creations and flashes that gorgeous smile in their direction no matter what. I have Elijah to thank for help shaping who I am as a father and who I strive to be as a person. I constantly tell others that if we were to look at the world as Elijah does, we’d all be in a better place.

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I'm not gonna lie guys... I shed a tear reading that. How beautiful. How true. I challenge everybody else who just read that to go out and see the world that way today. Help each other. Love each other.

I remember this 9 year old kid that I used to know. If I close my eyes, I can still see him trying to squat down in front of a baseball while it's flying at him. He was hot. He was tired. I tried to encourage him. I tried to inspire him.

Today he inspired me. I hope he inspired you, too.

Atta boy, Rock. Atta boy. #JWT #JoinTheRevolution