How do you say I love you? Write a letter to Oscar and the UK Wildcats. | Opinion

My husband and I — bona fide senior citizens — are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this week. We met on match.com. At our age, gift giving is a marvelous mixture of surprise and go ahead and just tell me what you want. My list generally focuses on asking for an experience, such as lunch at the Glitz. I ask for nothing that needs to be cleaned, moved, or insured. My husband prefers asking for tools that make his honey-do list easier.

This year I was shocked at his request: Please write a letter to Oscar Tshiebwe and the basketball team from me.

True, our talents go in different directions. I have taught writing for many years in many venues and George has been in number-focused jobs. George also had one caveat. He did not want the letter privately mailed or posted in social media. He wanted the letter published in the good old forum of the newspaper.

How can I say no to a man who believes in celebrating every wedding anniversary for at least a week?

Dear Oscar and the Big Blue Team,

You have lots of vocal fans. However, I think you have even a larger fan base of silent supporters. We may not be able to physically attend games or travel — and we don’t post on social media — but we bleed blue. We pray for you — for your success, your happiness, and your safety against injury.

And we also hurt with you. Galatians 6:2 in the Bible reminds us to “bear one another’s burdens.” That’s why I believe I am supposed to speak out for the silent fan base.

Two stories prompted this: a WKYT story on the mental health challenges faced by UK players and a KSR (Kentucky Sports Radio) story by Matt Jones summarizing the troubles of the season.

The 2023 season, and especially the NCAA tournament, was not how you and the team wanted this special period of your life to end.

The ability to accept pain and work toward peace is not an easy path — and it’s different for everyone. Often our best growth comes from forgiveness — of our own work and of the work of others who were supposed to guide us.

Every year I am seeing more and more how much physical and emotional maturity players need to be part of a game that is dominated by social media posts and post-game comments.

We don’t know how you feel, but we feel for you. I know from personal experience the truth from the Bible in Proverbs 17:22— “A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick.”

Your silent fan base is praying for you to heal through the medicine of a cheerful heart. That cheer can come from giggling at some of those commercials you all have made; or looking at recaps of some of your spectacular plays; or selectively reading those posts that make you smile; or finishing those courses at UK with a real sense of new knowledge.

I thank God for each and every one of you,

George Hamilton

PS — I told my husband this was a one and done.

George Hamilton is a retired building contractor who served as a drill sargeant during the Vietnam War. Dr. Jacqueline Kohl-Hamilton teaches English at EKU, directs Inkspire summer writing camp for Central Kentucky students, and teaches drama at Governor’s Scholars Program.