Bart Starr and The Dimes

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This post is short and sweet. Simple. Powerful. It's a story about legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr and a tradition that he established with his children.

He probably understood that the tradition was an investment in the confidence, self-esteem and very core of his children's lives. But I wonder if he knew before this incident that it was an investment in his own life, as well.

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.
Luke 6:38 (NLT)

Read. Consider. Live for Him.

When a considerably older Bart Starr was quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, he had a way of letting his kids know how much he appreciated it whenever they did something well. He’d give them a dime. If they did something extra well, he’d give them two dimes. That doesn’t seem like a lot of money in terms of today’s values, but you have to remember that Starr retired over 30 years ago.

One day, when the Packers were playing the Bears in Chicago, he had a terrible game - one of the worst he’d ever had. He couldn’t seem to find his receivers, he got mixed up on a couple of plays, and, in reality, he probably lost the game for the Packers. To make matters worse, the game was televised, and the commentators were unmerciful. They began to say very uncomplimentary things about him - mostly having to do with speculation that he was getting too old to play anymore.

So, when the team flew back to Green Bay that night, he was about as low as he could get. He was even beginning to believe, himself, that maybe they were right. Maybe he should stop playing. But then something happened that changed his feelings completely.

He arrived home at about 3:00 a.m., long after everyone had gone to bed and was asleep. When he started to go bed, he spotted something on his pillow. Lifting it up and taking it to the light, he saw a note from his son. It read, “Dear Dad. I think you’re the greatest quarterback who’s ever been, and the greatest dad too!”

Down at the bottom of the note, carefully taped in place, there was not just one dime, and not just two dimes, but three shiny dimes.