of the thrill of victory!

I'm a soccer dad and I'm OK with it.  (I grew up playing basketball and still hold out hope that one of my children will have an interest in learning how to play basketball.)  Tonight was a beautiful night for soccer.  Slight breeze, perfect temp.  Simon falls asleep in the car on the way to the game because he missed his nap, oh wait...that's not all that fun, because Wendy's at work so I'm flying solo. 

Molly has seen her fair share of the "agony of defeat" in her young soccer career.  She's grown so frustrated with it at times that she's wanted to quit.  This year she's moved up from YMCA Spirit soccer to a more competitive (i.e. expensive) league.  Some things have changed...more time in the car driving across town to practice, some things have stayed the same...continuing to lose on a consistent basis.

The season did not start out very good.  The team was few in numbers.  They have a core of 9 players, which meant they had 1 sub.  The first few games were not pretty, but they were encouraging.  There were moments where the girls were playing good soccer, nice passes, good communication, but they'd get tired and things were start to break down at that point.  Thankfully they were able to get a couple secondary players to come play with them and provide some extra relief. 

One thing their coach has stressed from the very beginning was that they would be working on "technical" first and then "tactical."  They have been building to this point all season.  The games were becoming more and more competitive.  They even had a sizable lead one game only to lose it as they broke down due to fatigue.  That game ended in a tie.  The next game they won.  And tonight they shut the other team out, and were fairly dominate on both sides of the ball.  They continued to communicate.  They passed the ball.  They received AND followed their coaching.  Molly even scored the first goal!

The girls receiving some halftime instruction from coach.

Sure winning isn't everything, but it sure does make the ride home from the game more enjoyable!  I am happy for the girls.  They have worked hard all season and put it all together for their last game of the season.  It is a beautiful thing to see your child doing well and enjoying themselves competing.  

What Made Your Day Beautiful?

of another beautiful sunrise!

One of my goals is to be grateful for the beauty around me by taking a moment, it may be brief, to fully appreciate beauty.  And also to share that beauty with those around me.

On the way to work this morning I had one of those moments. I headed into work a little earlier than usual and was rewarded with a vibrant sunrise.  So I pull over, get out of the car & call home to share the experience with Wendy!

What Made Your Day Beautiful?

Life is hard sometimes.

Today was one of those days.  Woke up feeling a little under the weather.  Busy day at work, made worse by not feeling 100%.  Rough night being and doing parental things.  Tough to find beauty in the day when you are constantly wiping your nose, have those itchy, tired sick eyes and have to have a tough, but crucial conversation with your teenage daughter.

But life isn't always supposed to be easy.  It's not continuous fun and games.  There will be hard times.  There will be times when we are required to do things we don't want to do.  There will be times when we have to do the hard thing.  Strength is not achieved on the easy path.  Character is forged in the cauldron of adversity and affliction.

As I reflect on what was beautiful about today, I take heart in one of my favorite quotes.

"Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can’t see the Lord’s hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

What Made Your Day Beautiful?

of good friends!

I am blessed to have great friends!  They love me.  They inspire me.  They support me.  I believe that much of the direction, success and happiness in our life is a result of who we choose to surround ourselves with.  Do our friends, uplift, challenge and encourage us to BE and DO better?  As I think of this, I ask myself, "Am I that type of friend?"  It is hard, not impossible, to be happy and positive around unhappy and negative people.  So, Thank you to all of my friends, you make by days beautiful!

What Made Your Day Beautiful?

of a daughter growing up!

Today was Molly's 6th grade parent teacher conference.  Her teacher's had a student lead conference.  She took us thru all of her classes and the progress she is making in the classes.  We went thru her writing journals, some quizzes and assignments.  It is impressive to me how she is applying herself in her classes.  Rarely do we need to encourage her to do her homework.  (She doesn't get that trait from me, I can assure you!)  It is a beautiful thing to see your child maturing right before your eyes!

What Made Your Day Beautiful?

of the power of a scripture!

For the last few weeks this scripture, found in The Book of Mormon, has been going thru my head. Ether 12:27.

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Weakness is part of the human/mortal condition, but it does not have to be a permanent part.  This scripture can be applied on many different levels.  Our weakness may be physical, perhaps we have some type of aliment, sickness, inability, etc...  Our weakness may be emotional, we might struggle with our temper, patience, ability to love/be loved, etc... Our weakness may be spiritual, we may stumble over some aspect of doctrine, wrestle with a repeated temptation, have an area of our testimony that has been shaken, etc..  The beautiful thing is the Lord promises to enable us to overcome our weakness if we but come unto Him.  By coming unto Christ and applying the power of His atonement in our life, He will make us strong!  What a beautiful thing that is; to be strong in Christ!

What Made Your Day Beautiful? 

of a chance to exercise a talent!

Out of the blue Molly asked me to draw her a picture.  Ok, so it's not completely out of the blue because I was doodling at church and she saw my doodles.  (She, Maddie and my sister Tiffanie were also laughing at me while I was drawing because of what I do while I draw.  Well, I do it whenever I concentrate.  My tongue comes out and I lick my lips.  Not the best habit to have, especially when you are trying to learn how to dance, but that's another story for another day!)  I grew up loving to draw.  It's in my blood, my dad went to UNL on an art scholarship.  It has been passed on to my daughter Whitney!  She spends hours at the table drawing!

I remember my dad getting rolls of butcher paper, I'd roll it out, listen to the Husker basketball games on the radio and draw basketball players.  I recently came across a high school art project and the desire to develop my artistic talents started to grow.  Then on Sunday during Sunday School the lesson was on "Developing Our Talents."

So rather than putting the request of and not ever getting around to it, I did it.  It was sometimes frustrating, but very enjoyable.  It was beautiful to get swept away in the creation of something.  It is definitely not a masterpiece, but hey, it has be years since I've done any serious drawing, so I think it's not half bad. 

Maddie as requested a similar picture, but she wants a stadium in the background too...that one I may be putting off for a while:)  We all have things that we've been wanting to do, but putting off.  I challenge you to take just a few minutes and do something you want to do, for yourself, to make your day beautiful!

What Made Your Day Beautiful?