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Hello, everyone! My name is John McGrail, I went roller-skating this past weekend, and I believe that if you’re not learning, you’re not living. Today I’m talking about my lone daughter and all she has taught me.

Yeah, so you may be saying roller-skating, so what? Well, back in 2008 I fractured my ankle while roller-skating with my then seven-year-old daughter. As a daddy-daughter date we were at a fundraising event and I came off the skating floor to the carpeted area. I was going too fast and lost my balance while my leg went under my body instead of out forward and with the added weight of the skate I couldn’t turn my foot in the right direction. I heard the pop and left in a friend’s car straight to the ER. Another friend took my poor little girl home to my bride and her brothers. So it’s a little bit of a big deal that I have put skates on again –twice now- after the ordeal. And that’s just one of the many adventures my girl and I have had together.

So, what’s today’s fun fact? In preparation for tomorrow, November 16 you should not pack your own lunch because National Fast Food Day is observed annually on November 16.  On this day each year, people all across the country celebrate by going through the drive-thru, dining inside or ordering their fast food to go.  First popularized in the United States in the 1950s, fast food is considered any meal with low preparation time and served to a customer in a packaged form for quick dine-in, take-out or take-away and typically with a drive-thru.  Merriam-Webster dictionary first recognized the term “fast food” in 1951.  Following World War I, automobiles became popular and more affordable.  At that time drive-in restaurants were introduced.  In 1921, White Castle, an American company founded by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson in Wichita, Kansas, opened, selling hamburgers for five cents each.  Anderson had opened the first White Castle in 1916 as a limited menu, high-volume, low-cost, high-speed hamburger restaurant.  The United States has the largest fast food industry in the world.  American fast food restaurants are located in over 100 countries.

National Button Day is also observed annually on November 16. Founded in 1938, the National Button Society recognized button collecting as an organized hobby. Both novice and advanced button collectors celebrate the enjoyment collecting on this day. Do you remember your grandmother or your mother snipping the buttons off shirts that were headed for the rag basket and then collecting them in jars? Maybe you even played games or strung them for ornaments and crafts.  The buttons were fun to stack into piles, sort by color or size, or scatter/slide across the floor or table making up different games each time. Crafters across the country utilize buttons in creative ways and are some of the best at finding new uses for old items. There are thousands of button collectors in the United States.

Maybe you have a story about your button collection or your favorite fast food and I’d love to have you tell it as a part of the Friday Forum. The Friday Forum is your opportunity to share with me and the rest of the Stuff I Learned Yesterday community. Your Stuff can be anything up to fifteen minutes and can be in your voice or written. You can add your Stuff to the Friday Forum in several ways—by calling 3048372278 and leaving a voicemail, by going to www.goldenspiralmedia.com/feedback and uploading an audio file, or by using the provided speakpipe widget; or, you can type out an email and send it in that way.

Now, here’s what I learned yesterday:

It was President’s Day weekend of 2001. As the CEO of the Credit Union that I was working at I was in charge of implementing a brand new debit card program over the weekend and Tuesday after the holiday would be our first day operating with the new cards and helping our members with the transition. My staff was well prepared; they were top-notch professionals that were always marvelous at delivering excellent member service. And that was a great thing as I called my two VP’s before Tuesday morning dawned to let them know they would be carrying on without me. My bride went into labor—a little bit early but nothing to worry about.

She was our surprise baby, and by that I mean that with our first we went ahead and found out that he was a boy. Being your first we reasoned that it was best to prepare since you’re getting all of your baby gear and clothing together. For our second child coming only 19 months later we decided let’s just see what we get! So, we arrived at the hospital overnight and waited for our surprise. Our doctor was busy with us and another mother at the same time so as he left our room saying…don’t go anywhere without me…well, you can probably tell where this is going. Our doctor was not yet back when our daughter met me first! In the midst of the moment and the umbilical cord confusing me my bride’s question of “What is it?” was only met by my “I don’t know!” Thankfully I got help rather quickly and we knew that our baby name choice of Audrey would be the one.

I will always remember her “babyhood” probably clearer than our other three because during the birth my bride tweaked her back so it was not possible for her for some time to leave our bed to get Audrey so there were many nights that I would go and get her, bring her to my bride, and get her back to sleep—sometimes multiple times in the night. We spent many a night together listening to music, dancing, and singing and I will always treasure those memories. I was also driving 45 minutes each way to work during that season of life so it was divine grace that I never fell asleep at the wheel.

Our girl has always been strong and independent. She is our child that has been the most athletic. From dance and gymnastics to volleyball to her current loves cross-country and basketball. She is graceful, has great endurance, and is a great teammate to those around her. Her coaches have commented that she is harder on herself than they ever could be. She is driven, not only in athletics but in her academics as well. She hasn’t ever earned a “B” that I can remember—I’m sure there has been one but her baseline is excellence. She is inspiring. She works hard and enjoys the satisfaction of what that work produces.

We’ve enjoyed a lot of adventures together. We have had great family vacations to the beach and trips to Disney World. She has camped with her Cub Scout brothers and loved it. She and I have been to more dance classes, gymnastics classes, and games of all kinds than I can remember. She calls me her greatest fan—and she’s right. She tells her mom that I never tell her no, and she might be right.

I’m sure that most kids could be described this way. I know everyone’s own children are exceptional. I titled this episode that my daughter is my hero. And I know heroes. I worshipped heroes since I was a child. A hero is someone who gives of themselves under overwhelming circumstances and still wins the day. And that is my girl. My girl is in the fight of her life right now. It’s not about physical sickness but more of an emotional battle. She has been keeping the struggle to herself for many years but is now bravely coming forward, fighting to get better even though the steps are now always forward—sometimes they go backward as well. 

Here’s what I learned:

The struggle is real. What used to be an ironic statement around our house has become a truism. My girl’s strength and independence have come under fire and she is battling. I am honored to fight and battle beside her. To watch someone going through a very real struggle is difficult. When it’s your child it’s something altogether different. I am so thankful that she is taking up the battle while she is surrounded by people that love her and know her like none other. I am thankful for her friends that keep her encouraged and pray for her regularly. I am thankful for the sports that she still enjoys and gives a physical way for her to battle at the same time. I am thankful for the struggle. That may sound counterintuitive but it is true. In the struggle you’re able to see who is really with you—and our family is blessed with so many that are walking, battling, sometimes losing, and a good amount of time winning with us. My girl is a fighter under overwhelming circumstances and she refuses to give in, no matter how long the fight. My girl is my hero.

I’m John McGrail, and this has been Stuff I Learned Yesterday.

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