Saturday morning, while sitting in the Rummel High School gym awaiting the start of the basketball game between St. Charles and Northshore, I noticed a young man making his way up the bleaches to film the game. He wore a protective surgical boot on his left foot.

I then asked him what happened. He answered with a smile, “I broke it jumping off a bridge.” “Is your plan for the future to make a living jumping off bridges?” I sarcastically asked. He laughed and said, “No. It was a small bridge in Slidell.”

In the course of our conversation, he shared that he and group of his friends have fun jumping off this certain bridge into the shallow water. “This time, I missed the water and fractured my foot,” he said.

We spoke a little during the game. I found out that he was a senior at Northshore High School named Kevin Jones. When asked his age, he replied, “Today is my birthday! I’m 19 years old.”

After the game, I told him how much I enjoyed meeting him and handed him $10 for his birthday. “You don’t have to do that,” he said, seemingly shocked at my gift. He was hesitant to take it, but I assured him that the Bible says it’s more of a blessing to give than to receive. “You can’t deprive me of a blessing!” I said.

I asked what he wanted to do after graduation and he told me that he wanted to go to college and pursue a career in the film industry. Getting a little personal, I asked if he had ever used illegal drugs or alcohol. “No,” he answered, “I’m against that.”

I told him that he had a good personality and would be successful in whatever he did. When asked, he gave his permission to write this article about our brief meeting.

I often say that one of the best gifts in life is the people we meet on our journey to eternity. I enjoyed the game, but how refreshing it was to meet Kevin! I’ll remember him for a long time.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.