The Parable of the Soccer Game

It was General Conference Weekend. We were grateful that we have a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) System with our Dish Network satellite service, since we were going to have to leave during the morning session to attend Andrew's soccer game.

(As a side note, Ethan was especially grateful since he had been so excited to play Conference Bingo that he had cried to me the Thursday before, begging me to let us "do conference" that day instead of waiting until Saturday. I had explained that there was no way possible, but as soon as I said, "I would if I could," I realized that I could use the Internet to make his wish come true. We looked up talks from last April's conference & pulled our Conference Bingo sheets from their file. He sat & listened to 3 whole talks, carefully placing his own candies on the pictures representing the topics mentioned. I was so pleased & impressed. Here was my son, gratefully listening to the advice & counsel of the Lord's servants, while I cleaned the kitchen. Ahhh. Now, on with the parable:)

Tuesday of that week, Andrew was quickly getting off our reclining "cuddler" and scraped the back of his ankle very badly. He hadn't been able to wear shoes, other than sandals or flip-flops, since his accident. There wasn't even a very good scab on the injury, given that so many layers of skin had been removed & that band aids kept bring the scab with them when they were removed. Nevertheless, Mike & I pushed him to wear his cleats, along with his soccer uniform. He screamed in agony as Mike forced the shoe on. I kept assuring him that the pain would lessen as time passed, and tried to comfort & encourage him to just give it a try for a few minutes. Meanwhile, Sister Mary Cook, spoke from our T.V. screen about the Prophet Joseph Smith's operation on his leg at the age of 7. As she talked of his courage, I repeated some of the phrases to Andrew to give him strength. Finally, before I could give in to my heart's desire to end the obvious discomfort of my son, Mike whisked him away to the game, claiming that he should at least go to cheer on his teammates.

I readied myself & the other kids, grabbed the Gatorade, which has become a sort of "magic drink" to keep Andrew going through games he's not so sure about, & headed to the field. I was pleased & surprised to see Grandma & Grandpa Slade there, watching from the sidelines. Mike told me that, although Andrew was currently not on the field, he had participated in the practice drills before the game. Then, after some encouragement from all of us present, and some comfort from Grandma, who told him it was okay if he chose not to play, Andrew went over to his coach and said he was ready to try.

As the boys got into positions, before the whistle even blew for the quarter to begin, our family was loudly cheering, "Yeah Andrew! Good Job! You can do it, Andrew!" I wonder what the other spectators must have thought of our cheers for one who was merely standing on the field, but I didn't care. I was so incredibly proud of my boy for not quiting before he really gave it a try. He played the whole quarter. He didn't just limp along in the back of the group, though there was some limping involved. He actually got right in there after the ball! He blocked a few good kicks from the other team, & he even came close to making a goal himself. Alex & Ethan cheered loudly for their brother, along with us, which made those around us comment on how cute it was. I'm not sure Alex understood why this game was so different than the others, but he recognized for the first time that we were all there to support Andrew. By the end of the quarter, though, Andrew's pain overcame his enthusiasm for the game. He told his coach he couldn't play anymore, & came over to us.

Mike got to him first, telling him how proud he was of his choice to play & reliving his "good moves" with him. As Andrew came toward me, his face was sad & he immediately began explaining that he just couldn't keep playing. I could tell he thought I would be disappointed in him for giving up now. And yet, the truth was I could hardly speak over the lump in my throat from the pride I felt in him for his efforts. I told him it was okay, but he wasn't really hearing me, so I made him look in my eyes as I told him again that it was okay & that I was more proud of him than I could even find the words for. I hugged him tightly and let my tears escaped my eyes. Then I knew he believed my, for I caught him smiling.(Here's Andrew smiling with his friend & teammate, Sam E.)

We helped him to a chair by Grandma & Grandpa. He took off his cleat & showed them the reason for his distress. His wound was indeed bleeding once again from the stress he'd put it through. We cheered for his teammates as we watched the rest of the game, and then left.

Now, there are three main lessons our family has gleaned from this experience. These lessons were felt on that day, though they didn't really become solidified into words, for me, until the following Tuesday when we were asked by a homeopathic specialist to try a sugar-free diet for a month. I have contemplated the theory of "sugar-free diets" in the past (Mike suffered through one as a child. I can't remember how long, but it was much longer than a month - it was their lifestyle then.) I have always come to the conclusion that, while they are probably good for those who can do them, I was not one of those people. I could never be successful at such a thing, & neither could my family. And yet. . . As Jennie, the specialist, made the suggestion, I felt something, which I recognize more & more to be the Holy Spirit, urging me to consider it. Through the "Fight or Flight" panic that I felt as I thought of what it would be like to live "sugar-free" for a whole month, came the words of the three lessons from what I now call the Parable of the Soccer Game. #1 Do not Quit before you Try. #2 Give it your Very Best Effort, despite the discomfort. #3 When you've honestly given your very best try, when it becomes more than you can continue to do, then it's Okay to Be Done.

Each time I repeat these three principles, I feel the Spirit confirm the truthfulness of them to me once more. I agreed to try the sugar-free diet (which, through rule #3 has become more of a Diabetic - Carb counting, Sugar-substituting, sugar avoiding - Diet), and I used these three lessons to invite my children & husband to support me in this venture. Gratefully, they have all agreed to submit to it. The kids were even excited about it, . . . until the first breakfast without any sugar.

Admittedly, it hasn't been easy. But I have felt encouraged, lifted, & supported in so many ways. I have felt that this experience will not just be about our health. It will be a way of becoming more united, cheering each other on through the difficult times & working together toward a common goal. It will be evidence we can draw strength from that We Can Do Hard Things, with the Lord's help. Both Andrew & Ethan have turned down treats offered when they were away from home. I could just burst with the joy they are bringing to my heart through their obedience! Andrew denied himself one Pringle chip, even though he checked & the package said there was only 1 gram of sugar per serving. I gave him a sugar-free candy for that one! Ethan not only told his buddy Elliott that he could eat their preschool treats in front of him- a Twinkie & a Blow-Pop - but tonight he asked to make graham cracker & frosting treats to take to neighbors, though he knew he could not even lick his fingers when the frosting got on them. We made them & he was true to his word. I was only able to resist because of his determination.

It is an answer to many different prayers I've said: "Please help my kids to eat better;" "Please help me to set a better example of eating better;" "Please help us all learn to try new foods & to actually like them;"(we'll have to wait & see about that last part! LOL!) Anyway, I am grateful to have experienced the Parable of the Soccer Game. I am grateful for the lessons I am continuing to learn & for all those who have been supportive of me in following the guidance I have received. The past four days have been a challenge. I honestly don't know if we can make it to Halloween (well, the Saturday before, since Halloween is on Sunday this year.) But, I know I'm not alone. We're not quitting until we've tried. We're going to give it our best shot, cheering each other on, even when it's really hard. And we will be pleased with whatever we're able to do.

This is a video of Andrew's game today. He's still in some pain, was still reluctant to play, but still did a great job!

Longest Saturday Ever

Last Saturday was Awesome! It was as if there were hours on end to fill with activity upon activity. The day began with breakfast in bed, brought to Mike & I by our thoughtful boys (with a little help from us as we took turns leaving the bed to help get table trays, open Pancake & Sausage on a Stick wrappers, or fetch the syrup, and then obediently returning to the covers to await our meal).

Following a little wrestling on the bed, we all dressed and began our monthly family clean of the whole house (on most Saturdays, regular chores are the kids' only "Saturday Work," but once a month, thanks to the blessed motivationsl efforts of my dear husband, we can squeeze out them a little more help). We wrote four rooms & one free-time on slips of paper in a small container. We all worked in whatever room we drew for 15 minutes, then moved on to discover our next area to clean. Ethan & Alex (well, mostly Ethan) were willing & helpful from the beginning, but Andrew required a little more "encouragement." Mike acted out a phone call to Grandma Slade, explaining that Andrew may not be able to attend the scheduled Grandma Date that day, unless his attitude changed. (It may have been a stretch of the truth to fake the call, but if his attitude hadn't changed, Mike & I were agreed that a call to Grandma would indeed be made.) Luckily, with a little help from Simon & Garfunkel's song, "It's All Happening at the Zoo," Andrew decided to pitch-in witih the rest of us.

It felt so good to have a nicely clean house, that Mike & I were each inspired to complete other projects. I shuffled a few things on the shelves in the playroom so as to be able to fit my craft supplies in that closet - a project I began about 4 months ago & never finished. Mike researched & purchased the necessary materials to then build a compartment to house our various routers & modems for the computer. It's wonderful to have them all organized in one place now!

Andrew did indeed go with Grandma Slade to see the new movie "Alpha & Omega," along with his cousin, Jase. They got ice cream afterward and returned home around 2:30 p.m.

Alex went shopping with Mike & came back asleep. Ethan's friend, Brianna, called & came over to play. While the two of them were playing inside, I folded laundry & sorted through a pile of papers as I watched the movie "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (It was okay, but nothing special & geared toward an audience older than my boys, yet younger than I. I did not appreciate the usage of the Lord's name in vain, however. I wish we had a TV Guardian.) While the two 4-year-olds were playing outside, I weeded much of my flowerbed in back & my "bushbed" in front.

Around 3 p.m., Mike & I ended our projects, sent Brianna with her sister who had come to retrieve her, and readied everyone for Andrew's soccer game. Andrew had escaped to his friend, Kyler's house, for the 1/2 hour between his movie date & game. I took a shower & then brought him home. And then we left. Oh, Mike also managed to squeeze in a quick mowing of the front yard, too - Alex was not to be disappointed!

Andrew's game went well. He's improving in his skill and interest in the game. He much prefers to be an offensive player, rather than a defender, but he's very good at getting the ball out of bounds to force a corner kick, as his coach has taught him to do. This game he did a better job of staying on his feet a little more. Last game he slid into every kick he made, putting his face about where every other player's feet were. Luckily, no injuries resulted.

After the game we returned home, threw Chicken Pot Pies in the microwave to have for dinner, along with bananas, yogurt, & carrots (so the picky ones could find something on the table they would eat). About the time we were going to sit down, Andrew's friend, Ethan B., called to remind him about the Late Night he had invited him to. I quickly ran him over there. Mike & Alex watched football, Ethan had some much needed alone time, & I called a friend, then spent some relaxing time on the computer, reading people's Facebook posts.

At 8 o'clock, we remembered that it was bath day, so Ethan & Alex were quickly washed before our regular bedtime routine. They were all settled into their jammies, with their teeth brushed & prayers said, when I left to pick up Andrew. He was very cooperative with getting right into bed, despite the amount of s'mores he'd eaten & games he'd played that had him rather hyped up!
Ahhh. With the kids settled into bed, Mike & I relaxed a little on our own & then watched a show together before turning-in ourselves. It had been a wonderfully productive & fun day!