To Whom It May Concern

I have to believe that when things you want to come to fruition fall through, it is only because God has greater things planned for you.
I truly believe that ... at the same time, I have to get it out of my brain and this is my way to give it up to God.

A little back story:

Chuck has been wanting to get back into a high school around here since we moved to Fort Worth in '08. When he found his job with a sports rehabilitation clinic, who contracts him out to the Fort Worth Cats in the summer, we thought it would likely be a one-year gig. So did his boss. He is a nice guy, but a realist - it is hard to keep someone in a job that travels three-fourths of a summer. Chuck being a family man, he knew this job was likely a stepping stone to get him to Fort Worth. Fast forward four years - Chuck still has the same job. He has mentioned to his boss that he would like go back to a high school.

Answer to our prayers?

So when an opening for an athletic trainer came about at the private schools where his boss' son attends, he gave Chuck a heads up. It just so happens that the manager of the Fort Worth Cats works there too during the school year.
With those two references, Chuck is a shoe in, right?
We start to get excited. He had his first interview in early June and it went well. He did mention at some point during the interview process that he would be out of town pretty much the complete second half of July.
 He ended up getting a call back saying he was in the running for the job with one other candidate. However, he was told the headmaster would be out of town for another week or so. Chuck just had this crazy feeling that they wouldn't call back until when he was on the road.
Flash forward to this week - Chuck gets a call back day 2 of an 11 day road trip that the headmaster wanted to meet with him the following day. He explained it all over again about how he was out of town. The secretary told him she would call him back once she found out what the head master wanted to do. The secretary called Chuck back and basically told him they would hold on to his resume, but since he couldn't come in this week, he was out of the running for the job.
I am not sure why there was such a lag between first and second interview, but Chuck getting dismissed like that over something out of his control just kind of crushed my heart. I know he wanted to get into a high school so bad. And this one sounded great.

Then I got mad and felt helpless ...

I felt helpless because Chuck got the news on the road. I wanted to be there for him to console him, or just be there to talk. But, since he was on the bus we had the convo via text. And, my phone hates me so I only got every other text .... made it very confusing to follow. Then, I started thinking about how awesome Chuck is at his job. I have never met someone with such a strong work ethic or so great at their job. And all I could think was: "This fancy smancy headmaster will never know what an awesome employee he missed out on." And yes, I literally thought that, my brain still thinks in five-year-old terms.
 So, I decided to write a letter.
*disclaimer* Chuck if you're reading this, I am not going to actually send the letter, don't worry! BUT, if I did ... this is how awesome it would be ....

The Letter ...

Headmaster Fancy Smancy Pants:

Congratulations on hiring your new athletic trainer. I am glad my husband being out of town on business made it an easy decision narrowing two candidates down to one. That pretty much was a no brainer decision for you. I am confident that the other candidate is capable of fulfilling the job requirements since they did make it to the top two, but I am afraid to inform you that you missed out on the best candidate.
Chuck was and is the best candidate for this job in so many ways. I could give you hundreds of reasons, but I will give you the key points.
Chuck does not simply fulfill the job requirements. He goes above and beyond every single day to help players get back on the field as quick as possible and to prevent them from getting injured. He is also very knowledgeable in his field, have 10 years of expierence and is an asset to whomever he works for.
As you know, Chuck is in his 4th season with the Fort Worth Cats Baseball Team. On average, he works 65 hours a week during baseball season. He is salary, so there is no overtime. He doesn't complain about the hours because he loves what he does. We, as a family, also make it work.
When players move to here for the summer to play, a lot of them do not have cars. In previous seasons, they have been put up in apartments in Burleson. This season, they are in host homes all over the metroplex. During off hours, Chuck has driven players to and from doctors appointments when they're hurt or sick.There have also been too many times where Chuck has sat in the waiting room alone for hours on a guy to come out of surgery. He doesn't mind waiting, he just wants the player to know they're not alone.
 I don't care how big and tough a baseball player is, surgery is scary and they should never have to go through it alone. I thank God that Chuck is such an amazing man, that he will put in the extra effort for his players. The Cats are in a new league this year and subtle things have changed. For instance, the home teams do not provide food for the players most of the time. It is kind of hit or miss. The players are either having to buy concession food, which isn't the best, or they're having to go without food daily from about 3-to-11 p.m. That may not sound like much time, but when they're playing in sweltering heat, a small and healthy meal after batting practice and before the game goes a long way. My husband has recently begun using his own money to buy the players healthy food as a pre-game meal. He doesn't complain. In fact, Chuck said he has noticed a difference in how they're playing with and without the meal.
While working in high schools, Chuck is a champion for the kids. He has had to make difficult decisions not to let a kid continue in a game, despite the child, a parent or a coach pressuring him to allow the kid to return to the game. But, he will not be swayed. Chuck truly cares about the well-being of the students. He believes he is responsible for their well-being while they're on the field. And he loves helping them get back to playing as fast as he can.
I never tire of listening to Chuck's stories about how a player made they winning run or scored the winning point in their first game back after injury. He gets so excited when he can help a player have a speedy recovery.
I truly hope you have made the right choice with your default candidate of choice. I am at peace with it now as well. I don't know what God's will is or what plan he has in store, but it has to be better than your school.

Sincerely,
Adrian

 How was that?

In this type of job, not much recognition is given. Honeslty, I don't think Chuck wants recognition.
But, I just felt like I needed to give a shout out to my totally awesome hubster! The ones that matter, know how great you are!

Athletic trainers' jobs are hard, but rewarding and the hours are mostly terrible. The pay isn't horrible, but with the hours they put in, it isn't wonderful either. It is enough to get by, and we are grateful for that! And besides that he is in the line of work that he loves. I wish this school would know what kind of jewel they're missing out on. Then again, ignornace is bliss.