Life Lessons From Mom - Hold On!

Today I was talking with a friend and she said "I cannot believe so many challenging things are happening at once.  I don't think it can get any worse!"  That seems to be the sentiment of so many people I have talked with lately.  We just dealt with another hurricane, too many close friends have lost a parent this year or are dealing with the reality of caring for a sick parent; relationships are fragile; and financial woes seems to be rampant.  I can hear my mom saying, "Hold on! It is always darkest before dawn."

It's strange how things seem harder to deal with at night. As a child I was afraid of the dark and everything just looked scary.  I would turn the light on and would try to go to sleep before my mom would tell me to turn the light out. As I got older and encountered life's issues and situations, it was amazing to me that what seemed so hopeless one night could all be changed for the better the next day.  

My mom raised 6 children while working full-time most of that time.  After twenty-five years of marriage she went through a divorce had to rear three of us by herself and it was not always easy.  During that period, mom cared for her mom who succumbed to cancer when I was in the sixth grade.  Mom would work a full day and then come home and attend to our needs and made sure my grandmother had what she needed. Mom didn't complain and found reasons to laugh even in the midst of it all. 

Over the weekend we made the 11-hour trip to Kansas for our middle son's season opener.  I like to drive at night to avoid the rush hour traffic.  We travel all the way on Interstate 70 and there are long lonely stretches in the road where there are farms on each side of the road.  In some places it is so dark that you can only see what is in your headlight beam.  Around six o'clock in the morning, the dawn breaks and what was pitch black starts to take shape and before you  know it, houses appear and you can see the beautiful landscape. It is a beautiful sight. 

When life is wearing me down and things don't seem to be getting better, I remember what mom told me and  start looking for daybreak.  No matter how long the night seems, HOLD ON!  It is always darkest before dawn. Don't give up!  Daybreak is coming!  

DJ

the moment after which the sky is no longer completely dark; formally defined as the time at which the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon in the morning.^[1]

Going For The Goal

I have been so inspired by so many of the Olympic stories.  As a sports mom, I know the high cost that my boys have   paid to do what they love. This morning I watched an interview with Gabby Douglas after she won the women's gymnastics all  around gold. She said that she trains herself mentally and doesn't  waste time looking at the scoreboard.  What a wonderful lesson for life that is!

As parents, we often determine how well we or our children are doing by keeping score. We can lose out on the joy of the journey by spending too much time keeping score of how we are doing compared to other parents. The reality is that we have to keep our eyes on the prize, and do our best with rearing our children. In turn, it will teach our children to do the same.

I often tell my boys to just do their best and leave the rest to the Lord. Once you do all you know to do, no matter what the outcome is, you will know there was nothing else you could have done.  I am sure it is heartbreaking for the athletes who have prepared to the best of their ability and then miss the mark by making small errors or just having a bad day.

Only one team or individual will win the gold in a particular event. Even with this fact in mind, every Olympian trains with the thought that they will win that honor.  As parents, we must teach ourselves and our children to go for the gold in life.  We must believe that our dreams can come true and then take the necessary steps to make it happen.  Don't let what others are doing discourage you from investing in your dreams.

If you need some encouragement, take some time to follow some of the stories of this year's Olympians.  Some have lost parents along the way; they have had to move far away from home to get the coaching they needed; they have endured injury and defeat all along the way; but in the end, they achieved the ultimate dream of competing with the world's best athletes.

Often, the only difference between those who get what they want out of life and those who don't is having the determination to do what needs to be done. When we stop focusing on the competition and begin to look inward, we can achieve great things.  Stop keeping score and go for the gold!

DJ