Chris Henry: Gaining Fans From Up Above

It is unfortunate, but sometimes people don't really reach their highest level of fame until they have passed on or something tragic has happened in their life. 

There are countless coaches, players, writers, scientists, etc. that never reached their highest level of fame until much after they leave us. 

I will be the first to admit, that until today, I had no idea who Chris Henry was. In fact, when a friend of mine came up to ask me "if I had heard what happened to Chris Henry?" the first thing I asked was, "Who is Chris Henry?"

Some will chalk this up to the fact that I am a woman, but those that know me know its just because I am so into Alabama and the SEC that I barely have time for anything else. 

As my friend told me about this WR from the Cincinnati Bengals and all of his amazing stats and then finally, about what had happened, my heart went out to him. Not only to him, but to his family and friends that he left behind. 

I started out today not knowing who Chris Henry was. I am ending the day knowing what a great player he was. I now know the dedication he had for his team and the sport he played. I know now the dedication and love he had for his kids and his fiance. I know the love his teammates had for him and the hard times that he went through.

I also know that he had a hard time growing up and that he had gone through some rough times even here recently with alcohol and drugs. I learned that his teammates and family stood behind him through all this.

Chris Henry was 26 years old when he was thrown from a vehicle and killed last night. Many of his teammates said he was "becoming an adult and getting his life together," after a stint with drinking that had gotten him into trouble over the last few years. 

Chris Henry was putting the numbers on the charts, and making a name for himself in sports other than his arrest record, but his greatest claim to fame will probably be how he was killed at a young age.

Sometimes, we don't understand why things like this happen to people that seem to be getting their lives together. It never seems fair. Henry's teammate said tonight, "My grandma always told me to never question God and the decisions he makes because he doesn't make mistakes but, (stops for a moment) I think he might have with Chris."

We see many people that are killed at a young age, or younger than we think they should be before leaving us. People that are great. People that change our lives. People that have an impact on us, and yet we never tell them they do. Then, it's too late.

As we get closer and closer to the Christmas Holidays, don't forget to thank the people that have impacted you and tell the people that you love how much you care about them. 

Keep Chris Henry's family and friends in your prayers and also his teammates and coaches. This will be a tough holiday for them all.