Steve McGee: The Fireside Friend
I drove my route for work this week thinking about friends and ends. Today it really hit me as I knew I would finish my work day and go to a wake for a fellow hockey dad and friend, Steve McGee. The thought of this still smacks me around, and will continue to batter me, and many of us through this coming season and beyond.
If you have read some of my stuff over the years, I hope you found it a source of truth and fairness before anything else.
The Humble Truth
So, before I get to the poem I crafted for Steve I have to come clean on something regarding Steve McGee.
I liked Steve. I enjoyed conversations with him about literally anything and everything under the sun. What really got me was his constant talk of his wife, his kids, his family. To be honest, he would go on about his kids and that would sometimes border on annoying me.
Typically though, I would notice that I was more annoyed than he was annoying. That might be splitting hairs but it’s true. Yes, I can be annoyed before anyone even talks to me especially if I am deep into thoughts and scenarios that have been presented to me that I am trying to sort out.
Either way, here are the two things that balanced all things with Steve as far as I was concerned.
- His smile. He was always so thrilled and energized when talking about his family. Honestly, who didn’t notice this about him? He adored his family and his body, his hands, his fully alive face said it more than his words ever could.
- This wasn’t the only lens he saw life through. He always recognized others in our conversations, my kid, another kid, several kids, coaches, etc. So, as completely pumped as he was about his kids and his family, he wasn’t on an island of observation that left all others obscured from view. This is the point that really kept our slate clean. He loved his family, knew every highlight and stat, but wasn’t hypocritical about others that helped his family succeed, or about those that his family helped to succeed.
Encouragement
I will continue to pray for the McGee family, that they would know the peace that passes all understanding. That they would know the true source of hope and love and integrate that into their lives moving forward. I pray their legacy only strengthens and grows for now and for generations to come.
From The Living Bible:
Peace That Passes All Understanding
- Philippians 4:6–7: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
The True Source of Hope
- Romans 15:13: So I pray for you that God who gives you hope will keep you happy and full of peace! May he fill you with joy as you trust in him! May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Psalm 39:7: And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.
The True Source of Love
- 1 John 4:16: We know how dearly God loves us, and we find our joy in believing him. God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.
- Romans 5:5: Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Steve McGee: The Fireside Friend
(A little poem for Steve from the perspective of another hockey Dad that happened to overlap with Steve and his family for several seasons)
Freedom’s just another word for embers in the night,
For hockey parents gathered when the stars begin to light.
Steve McGee wasn’t Bobby, with a harp and a song to sing,
But he brought a different music, the quiet joy you bring.
From Bedford to Cooperstown, we shared those special miles,
Watching our kids grow up together through the seasons and the smiles.
He was always there rinkside, a father proud and true,
Marie from a seat to watch Sean, Colleen and Andrew.
No harmonica in his hands, no guitar for him to play,
Hiking boots and running shoes that carried him countless days.
He loved his wife with devotion, his children with all his soul,
And found his peace in simple things that made his spirit whole.
So here’s to Steve McGee, who measured life in love,
Not in the goals that were scored, but in the skies above.
Freedom’s just another word for the time he made to give,
A fireside friend, or the hall of fame, the best life he could live.
