What I Learned this Weekend

As I sit here tonight, I know what I want to write but I don't know how to get it out of my head.  Life is like that sometimes... all these thoughts whirl around and around and leave us feeling dizzy, and noone knows it but us.  We spend our lives in a blur, going from here to there to yonder, barely resting long enough to lay our heads on our pillows and fall into a dreamless sleep, only to awaken the next morning feeling as though our bodies never stopped.

I can't believe it is already halfway through September.  This year has truly flown by, and this weekend was no exception.  The saying goes time flies when you are having fun, and this weekend was no exception.  Here's some of the things I've learned this weekend...

1. Motivation comes from the heart, and we come alive when something pulls on our heartstrings.  Friday night, I watched my boys in blue get demolished in the first half against Somerset.  They just weren't in the game.  They were slugglish and never could get into rhythm.  They left the field looking rejected, and let's be honest, it's no fun to watch a game like that.  Then, at halftime, I'm not sure what happened.  All I know is that these boys have a guardian angel watching over them.  I think Zach kicked their butts into gear, because when they came back out they were on fire.  High school football is heart at its finest... leaving it all on the gridiron. I'm just happy that I get to go along for the ride in the bleachers.

2. We always need to be thankful for the little things. Saturday morning I went with Mom, Kami, and Caleb to the Walk to Defeat ALS at Rupp Arena.  We walked in memory of Joe Henson,  a local physical therapist who passed away from ALS a couple of years ago.  I didn't really know Joe well, but my Mom did. Joe was one of her boys.  As a teacher and cheerleading coach, Mom has given her heart to more boys and girls than I could count. She's celebrated as they went on to get married and had babies, worked with some of those babies, and she's also mourned and grieved with them and for them. As we walked the laps around Rupp, Caleb saw a couple of patients in wheelchairs, which led to conversation about how blessed we are to be able to walk.  I don't enjoy exercise all of the time, but it is a privilege.  As is breathing without effort, and laughing at a good joke, and hugging my family.  We take for granted the small things...

3. It's great to be a Jackson Tiger... As a Breathitt grad, I bleed blue and white.  I've been raised that way.  In the last couple of years, Itty Bitty Jackson City has gotten into my blood as well.  I guess you can say that I'm just confused, because I cheer for so many different teams.  Kids are kids no matter what, and we should support them.  So Wallace, Mom, and I drove to Frankfort and cheered on those Jackson Tigers in the State All A Soccer Cup.  Our kids at Jackson are great.  The soccer team performed well, and the 4-0 score did not reflect the effort left on the field.  Our pep section rocked (my opinion might be biased, as my favorite volleyball girls made up a large part of the student section)... Jackson made its presence known.  I'd love to see the same in basketball...

4. I am madly in love with my husband.  Really and truly.  Wallace and I have had some rough times.  I've not  been shy about putting it all out there.  For a while, I really thought we had totally lost our way, but things happen for a reason.  This weekend, we spent a lot of time in the car together, which has always been some of our best times.  And the last few weeks we've really been making an effort to hang out and talk.  Relationships need time invested, and with our busy schedules, we had kind of let that slide by the wayside.  One way I've been doing this is going to volleyball practice with him.  I take my papers to grade or my homework to work on or a book to read.... and tonight, as I was making notes on leadership, I looked up and saw it.  His whistle was around his neck and he was teaching those girls about some play, and they were listening, and all was right with the world.  Now sometimes they roll their eyes at him, and mutter under their breath, but this practice there was none of that.  I just felt my heart swell.  I've always loved him... but I'm beginning to like him again.  And I think he's beginning to like me again, too.  Someone once said that the secret to marriage is falling in love with that person over and over again. So today was a good day.

5. I am a true procrastinator.  I have lecture notes to write... for Tuesday.  I just laid my book down in the floor.  I'll do it tomorrow... tonight, I'm headed to bed.  This blog may not have made any sense at all... and if it doesn't that's probably good.  If it does, hold on.  Stay motivated.  Cheer for the underdogs.  Love with all your heart, even if there is a chance that it may get broken.  And get a good night's sleep, because everything looks better in the morning.  =)