Your Best

I was able to talk to Coach Matt today to let him know that you wouldn't be able to make it to your game on Saturday because we would be in Houston. It's always good to catch up with him to check in and get his perspective on how you are doing in soccer. Your Mom and I love to watch you kids play or be involved in something that you have a passion for. We just love to watch each of you do your best and do things that are challenging. Coach told me that you were doing great; he loves having you on the team. He did tell me something that I didn't know; something that you wouldn't talk to me about a few weeks ago. Several weeks ago after your game, you came to me with tears in your eyes, but blinking strategically so that they wouldn't fall. It's quite a talent that you have mastered - most notably remembered when we were at the Collin County Juvenile Detention Center having our "tour" with Officer Raymond. I remember your 6 year old self determined that you were going to be tough and not let those tears fall as he was "talking" to you. I was both proud and concerned at your demeanor as I watched, I'll have to admit. The defensive posture was completely instinctive for you to stand chest out, fists clinched. That fight that you were born with I would like to think came from me, but my experience with your mother over the last 13 years proves that it surely comes from her. That spirit of resilience has caused you quite a bit of grief in your young life, and surely will cause some more. But as you learn to harness it, it will certainly be a blessing to you in the challenges of life. I asked you what the problem was - you had played a great game. You wouldn't answer, actually telling me that you didn't want to talk about it. As your Dad, I am always wanting to "fix" whatever I can, so it was really hard for me to just let whatever was bothering you fester inside of you. I remember even asking again thinking that you may want to talk as you cooled down. Nope. So, I let it go and just hoped that you had worked it out on your own. Coach let me in on what was bothering you that night though. He said that he saw that something was wrong with you on the soccer field, so he subbed you out - something that he rarely does because of your value on the team. He said that you told him "nothing" at first, but then when pressed he said you told him that the kid that you were defending was faster than you as a tear rolled down your face. I know that usually you are one of, if not the fastest on the field any given day. It is so impressive to watch you glide by kids on the field as you chase the ball down. I will admit though that that particular team had a kid on it that was blazing fast. I couldn't believe actually how he moved on the field. You did a great job defending him, but in the open field, no one could come close to his speed. I want to share a few things about this - for what it's worth. Although we are blessed with many talents, and some that we may even excel at naturally, we need to remember that there is sometimes going to be someone a little faster, a little bigger, or a little smarter even than us. In fact, we need to plan on that being the case. We need to prepare ourselves and use this as motivation to help us achieve at a higher level. I hope that you will continually ask yourself how you can prepare today because tomorrow you may run into someone that may be a little faster or stronger. Our natural abilities will only take us so far; we need to continually work to better ourselves both temporally and spiritually to improve our bodies and minds so that when we meet a challenge seemingly bigger than ourselves, we can face them knowing that we are at least prepared. So, for what it's worth, the one thing that we can control is our preparation. Train hard on your Tuesday and Thursday practices so that you can be "the one" that is faster, and a little better than your opponent. And if you find yourself on the other end - don't panic. Trust in yourself and do your best. When you are giving your best effort consistently in practice and at "game time", you will have no need to fear or feel down about your performance, because you will know it was your best. I will always be proud of your effort, no matter the outcome, when the effort is your best.