Another year, another time to say thanks

By STEVE KING

I’m here — having had the privilege of covering the Browns for all this time — because of God, and my parents, in that order.
Mentioning God’s name in anything these days is frowned upon by some, and in some cases a lot more than just some. Let the frowning begin.
He knew how much I’ve wanted to do this — or something like this — ever since I was a kid growing up in a suburban community south of Akron. That journey began when I would sit outside under a big maple tree in the back yard of our home on warm, sunny, summer afternoons in that innocent time of the mid-1960s and use my mom’s spatula as a microphone to announce imaginary Indians games on my imaginary radio station, then taking a pencil and scribbling out on a notepad stories about the Browns.
That I actually got to do the latter was a gift from God. He made it happen by working through my parents.
I thought about all this — as I usually think about all this at this time of year, every year — because Mom and Dad would have celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary the other day. They were wed on March 8, 1941 in tiny Bridgeport, Ohio, near where they both grew up– actually more or less in my mom’s case, since she was from a place a little further away. A justice of the peace did the honor because my dad’s mother didn’t think my mom was good enough for her son. She was wrong. Their marriage lasted 39 years on this earth, and then an eternity elsewhere.
But back to the main point of this piece. Mom and Dad understood me and what I wanted to do in life, and they selflessly did everything they could to make it become a reality, getting out of the way when they realized they had to make that path clear. My mom wasn’t  a sports person — a big-time no. My dad was a sports person — a big-time yes. It was the perfect mix to allow me the backing to explore the sportswriting business, penning stories about teams and games and players and coaches.
If I had wanted to be a banker or a doctor or something else, they would have shifted gears to make that happen.
They were the best. They were the greatest parents in the history of parents.
Thanks, guys.
And, of course, thank you, too, God. 
It’s been a blast, getting to make a living out of your passion, and, if You say so, it will continue.