Mourning

Torrey Smith will apparently be playing tonight, just hours after learning that his brother passed away in a motorcycle accident. I've heard people applaud him and even more talk about the travesty his playing creates. I'm not sure the decision can be made without being inside his head, and I, for one, would not presume to have that kind of knowledge.

We all grieve differently. This became abundantly evident to me in a real way a couple of years ago. I was helping coach a Bible Quiz team, of which two-thirds of the team had their aunt die during the first day of competition. After they advanced to the finals against all odds, they were given the terrible news. One fan insisted that they should not quiz in the finals. Their mother, however, felt that they needed to quiz to honor their aunt.

Brett Favre played in a football game shortly after his father died, and my list will end there, as the List could be endless. There are those who feel being with their family and skipping the game or event is essential. And dependant upon what you do for a living, how duplicatable the situation is, and your relationship to the deceased and those that survive the deceased, it may be plainly obvious that you should go one way or the other.

Yet, for me, I will not be the one to tell you. Because for every Elaine Benes who gets dumped because she went back for Jujyfruits, there is a Bo Kimble, who leads a mediocre team farther than imaginable in the NCAA tournament.

So, as I am now watching Torrey torch the Patriots, I wonder, "Did he do the right thing?" I can't be sure, but one thing I know. I won't question him, and I don't think we should (unless you are his mother or otherwise related to him). He made a decision that fits his situation. At this point, the best thing we can do is pray for his family's peace and recovery.