real ... good ... man

My sister Mary shared this video of an honorable man - Coach John Wooden. I love good, good, deep and real people... who are thoughtful about character, who speak of and live in faith, who create a long and lasting love with their spouse.

Here - just watch this... he reminds me of President Hinckley... loyal... full of love... good.

How sweet it is - all the love letters he wrote to his wife Nellie, even after she had been gone for 20 years. Here's a link to the bio on John Wooden who recently died at the age of 99!

Yonder

Once I was afraid of dying.

Terrified of ever-lying.

Petrified of leaving family, home and friends.

Thoughts of absence from my dear ones,

Drew a melancholy tear once.

And a lonely, dreadful fear of when life ends.

But those days are long behind me;

Fear of leaving does not bind me.

And departure does not host a single care.

Peace does comfort as I ponder,

A reunion in the Yonder,

With my dearest who is waiting for me there.

written by Former player, Swen Nater

after being inspired by John's life-long devotion to Nellie.

A few good quotes from John Wooden:
"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player."

"There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer."

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

"For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you are to progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren't able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at the moment."

"I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere."