In February 2011, Celtic basketball great Bill Russell along with 13 others were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Medal of Freedom is the highest honor from the U. S. government any person can receive unless they serve in the military. The medal is given to individuals with
“especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
A widely respected athlete Bill Russell, former Boston Celtics’ Captain was an 11-time champion over 13 years with the Celtics, where he defined class and greatness for several generations of basketball players and fans. He was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player five times.
The first African American to coach in the NBA – the first to coach a major sport at the professional level in the United States. Bill Russell is also an impassioned advocate of human rights. He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and was a consistent advocate of equality.
In an interview after receiving the award, Bill Russell said receiving the Medal of Freedom was not his greatest award but it was a close second.
Bill Russell went on to explain the greatest award he ever received was the day his father, who recently passed away, told him that he loved him for the first time and was proud of him and he was even more proud to be his dad. For the remainder of the interview, several of Bill’s answers kept pointing back to the sacrifices his father made for him.
Bill’s father gave up a great career in order to move his family to California from Louisiana so they would have a chance to go to college. It was a huge sacrifice for everyone. To this day, Bill still talks about how important that decision is to his life.
Take-Aways
- As parents, we must be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of our children. The sacrifices we make today will help to avoid sacrifices they may have to make later. As stepdads and stepmoms, there is already a measure of sacrifice because you didn’t have to be.
- Our kids need to hear from us regularly we are proud of them and we are proud to be their father.
- Boys especially get their sense of self-worth from what we (their father) think of them. Our kids need to see we’re excited to be their dad.
Your Assignment
Take a few minutes to reflect on your answers to the following:
- Are you willing to interrupt your schedule and suffer in a sacrificial way for your children?
- Are you pointing your children to the Ultimate Example of sacrifice?
- What will kids say about you if they get interviewed later on in life?
