perspective

I am just amazed by how God uses so many unique situations in our lives to teach us things and open our eyes to different things. I'm coaching my team at a tournament in Wisconsin this weekend. We are short a player and have another player joining us from another team, so it's not our normal line-up. Our team is kind of in the middle of the elite teams and the crappy teams. We kill the crappy teams, but when we play the tougher ones we don't look very confident and by the team we remember how to play it's too late to pull out the win. Maybe I should challenge them more and just play tough teams all the time, but it's a toss up. I am pretty tough on them and challenge them to get out of their comfort zone and to work on their mental toughness. I was very frustrated with them after a match we lost which knocked us down to bronze because we didn't decide to play until it was too late. I sulked for a short time then started to get some perspective. I was chatting with one of the moms and she was commenting how one of my players reminded her of a player I coached with her older daughter. They are both named Emily, their hair is similar, and they share strong passion for the game and are both extremely nice and thoughtful. Unfortunately the older Emily died after a car accident a few months after our season ended. It brought back a lot of great memories all while making me a little sad . . . needless to say I was crying a little. We were talking about some of the fun times that group had (which were many). It was a great reminder that what we do is so much more than wins and losses. I got to sit down with my team and remind them that I love them and why I push them so hard. They actually thanked me for pushing them so hard because they know they need it. It was just great to be reaffirmed. They are such a great group, not the most athletic, but such good hearts. I know all my hard work is going to pay off.

I do miss Emily a lot at tournaments like this. She loved everywhere we traveled and always had a great time. She taught me so much about joy and passion and she is always near to my heart. I promised her family to carry her spirit on to all the teams I ever coach. I pray that God opens up opportunities to share her story with them. I also pray that God continues to watch over my team and help them grow and mature in a positive way. I'm so grateful for what I get to do. I don't ever want to take it for granted or complain about the time it takes.