Football

I love football.  I seriously do. 

Good thing since I have a couple of football loving boys.  I have to say that there are many people (I used to be one of them) who would never allow a son to play.  I am totally okay with that choice, but if it's to protect your son?  Then sit him on a couch at home because every single sport your child plays has hazards.  An ambulance sits at basketball games too.  I am not an "unsafe" mother but I do realize that injury can happen with my kiddos at home, at school and at a ball field or court.  Teaching safe habits is serious, but there is nothing I can do to keep my children from ever being hurt.

This week a classmate of Tasha's had a compound fracture of his femur (in his back yard), another classmate is recovering from cancer surgery, a Christian girl in our community was killed in a car accident....life is not safe.  I smile at the quote "we are born and then we are dying".  The dash in the middle...the line between birth and death....sometimes occupies a lot of space and sometimes a short space.  I don't want my children to be foolish, but I do want them to live.  I want them to experience this life and do it in such a way they grow in wisdom and faith.  Sports are tremendous team building activities. Men who played sports are usually great team players.  They learn great skills that make them great men.  The same is true of women.  We can all watch a game and see the great value of respect and sportsmanship.

And to me?  This first picture is one of the greatest attributes of sports too.  The fans, the spectators, the encourager's....for the entirety of our lives we are called to be encourager's.  When you have a brother or sister playing a sport?  You become a encourager.  HUGE lessons are taught in my van, at the house and from a sideline about how you encourage.  I love the opportunity to sit and watch and encourage!

And I do love the heart of a fighter, I love the heart of a child who does not give up at the first hardship!  I truly believe that can be learned just from living, but it's so quickly and easily seen in sports.  I love the David and Goliath moments....this one below is such a moment.  Seth, a few plays before this, took down this big boy. A few plays later he was the only one who could catch Seth.  I say big because on his knees he is as tall as Seth.  I love that Seth is courageous and a fighter.  He's hard to take down...all incredible lessons in this life!  I think our responsibility is to be sure we do not allow those moments to come and go without drawing attention to the good habits!!

This life of ours is full of teachable moments!  We, as parents, are the teachers:)  How blessed we are!!!