Life

I have been pondering a lot about the meaning of life. I know that sounds deep and it really is.

The state of the world is what has me contemplating what is important in life and how to spend more time on the important things and less time on the non-meaningful, non-fulfilling items. More than ever we are all consumed with worry, tasks and negativity. This is all easy to say and easy to ponder about but it is not so easy to do.

I had a moment last nite that was a perfect illustration of the meaning of life.

Last nite was the end of the season party for Drew's soccer team. It was at a local pizza place and was low key. At the end of the evening, Drew's coach, Andy, got up and said something about each of the players.

And what he said was meaningful. REALLY meaningful.

It meaningful to each player because it showed that this coach cared about them and that he noticed when he did things well and not just the things you would think(ie making goals and winning games) - he noticed things like being a good leader, being supportive of team mates, and doing your personal best.

It was meaningful to each parent because it illustrated to each of us that our hard work in raising and guiding these boys is working. And because we realize that in this coach, we have been blessed with an amazing ally in our endeavor of raising our sons.

To this coach this was a season of guiding a team full of boys on their road to being young men. NOT a season of winning games. I thanked him when we left and told him that he has no idea how influential he has been in these boys lives.

Unfortunately, Drew was not at the dinner as he was sick. But the rest of us went and when it was Coach Andy's turn to talk about Drew, he asked Gracie to come up and stand in Drew's place.

Andy then proceeded to talk about what great natural athlete Drew was and how he "makes good decisions, consistently good decisions for a kid his age", and that he knows the game of soccer almost as much as Andy himself. Then he talked about how Drew grew as a leader during the season. Andy spoke of how at the beginning of the season Drew was named the team captain and that he had been hesitant to take that role. He spoke about talking with Drew each game about what to work on in that role for that particular game and that he was proud of the growth Drew had made.

As a parent, I could not have asked for more from a coach - he recognized Drew's natural ability, identified areas of growth opportunity and focused on developing those growth areas. He made a difference in the self esteem, confidence and ability in Drew.

And, as a parent, I could not have been more proud.

So....while I ponder, I am taking the time to recognize these meaningful moments in life and hold onto them for as long as possible. And to feel blessed for those people who come into our life and make a difference.