Last Thursday I was stuck in traffic at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, my radio tuned to the press conference in Boston. The sky over Manhattan was gray as the FBI released images of the Marathon bombers and warned that they were armed and extremely dangerous. The public was told not to approach the suspects.

I was writing a blog on college sports when the bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon. The images of fallen runners and bloodied spectators felt like a sucker punch to the heart. My eyes welled up and I had to stop writing. Then came the fury. 

When I was a kid I never understood why adults dislike birthdays. A couple days ago I turned 47. Now I get it.

Childhood birthdays are about laughter, sweet things, and great expectations. Adult birthdays are reminders. If I live as long as my life insurance policy predicts – 84 or thereabouts – I’ve still got a ways to go. But I’m past the halfway point. Sobering.

“Are you okay?”

I’ve been getting that a lot lately, mainly in emails from people – some friends, some strangers – who read my blog. Normally I post every two weeks. But I haven’t blogged in over two months. My last post – GRIEF – was in response to the school shooting in Newtown on Dec. 14.

Since then I’ve been off the grid. No blogging. No Facebook. No Twitter. I’ve ignored a lot of emails and phone calls, too. I have voicemails from late December that I still haven’t checked.

In May I had the privilege of writing the Sports Illustrated cover story on Jabari Parker, the nation's best high school basketball player. Today, his three year recruiting saga came to an end. In a nationally televised press conference from his high school in Chicago, Parker announced he will attend Duke. 

Today on SI.com I chronicle how he made his choice. Amidst a lot of bad news, this is a story that showcases the genuine goodness of a young man who mixes humility with greatness. You can read the full SI story here: [LINK]

Dave Checketts is not a professionally trained clergyman. The former chairman of Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks is currently CEO of Legends Hospitality, the concessions and merchandise company he jointly owns with the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys. But he’s also a lay minister for the Mormon Church with oversight of ten Mormon congregations in Fairfield County Connecticut, including the one in Newtown.