Christmas Spirit Check In

Hi Friends – Wanted to check in on your Christmas Spirit with 14 days to the big day.

It’s December 11th, and I know for many, myself included it feels like there isn’t enough time. Maybe there isn’t. No one but us are non the wiser, so I’m holding onto that and a little lesson I learned on the basketball sidelines this weekend.

LT plays on a team with his third grade buddies (and one younger sibling).  I love everything about this team.  Our coaches, the boys that play on it, the moms of these sons, and how much the boys have grown as players, and their understanding of what it means to be a team mate.  Frankly, we all could learn a little something by watching them.  They lost their game, against a tough opponent, but they took it in stride.  They didn’t give up, and they all took their coach’s words to heart, “We win as a team, we lose as a team.”  They held their heads up together.

The game that was to take place afterwards one of the opponents didn’t show.  LT’s head coach offered to scrimmage them, so the other team could get some playing time in.  The team was tired, and some boys had other obligations afterwards, so the only way LT’s team could scrimmage was if some other siblings, including L2 were willing to play too.

                                                   One younger sib is sitting on the bench this quarter. 

Those of us that could stay watched three sets of siblings out on the court playing together.  We saw older brothers building up their younger brothers, we saw younger brothers embracing it and going with the flow.  It turned it out to be a great game.  Up until this weekend, both L&L had been riddled with illness. At one point, in the fourth quarter I said to the two other moms watching, “On Monday L2 was in the ER, on Tuesday he couldn’t go to gym class, but here five days later he just played three quarters of a basketball game and he could keep going.”  Something came over me in that moment.  Something greater than all the to do lists in the world.  Seeing my two sons playing together, and healthy was an answer to so many prayers.  And frankly, Charlie Brown, that’s one small part of what Christmas is all about.

                                                  The two younger bros that don’t play on the team. 

Merry Christmas season to you and your families. Yes, it’s 14 days away, but I think we can all agree we would rather be making the most of it than feeling the pressure of it.  (And remember, you aren’t alone, so just keep doing you.)