In honor of November and Thanksgiving and family and everything Fall, my blog will continue, and I'll try to stay as thankful and positive as possible. No promises though.
The end of volleyball season is tough. In a few weeks, even our state champions will mourn it's over. They'll, of course, have their shiny, state rings, so there's that. My team, however, had no playoff appearance this year, but our record really isn't indicative of what we're capable of. All we can do now is prepare for next season.
I always meet with my girls one-on-one to discuss how they felt about the season, their goals for next season, how they will achieve those goals, and so on. I was especially proud of one young lady who rarely touched the court, but after a mid-season coming-to-Jesus talk, quickly became one of our most exciting players to watch. In our meeting last week, I reiterated how proud I was of how she ended her season, and we talked about how she overcame the doubts within concerning her abilities as a volleyball player. I reminded her God gives us all talents, but it's our responsibility to use those talents. And He's proud of her for using hers.
Near the end of the conversation, she thanked me for sticking with her and motivating her to be the best player she could be. But her next sentence stopped me in my tracks. She was worried I was so disappointed in our season that I might not come back and coach next year, and she would be devastated if that happened.
Wait, what? This girl is one of the most stoic people I've ever met, on and off the court. She has a great personality, but a hard exterior. She's guarded, and to be honest, I truly thought she could take me or leave me. And here she is boldly expressing her feelings toward me as her coach. Needless-to-say, the gates opened.
I've often doubted my profession. I've always dreamed of writing, but in that moment I heard my own words coming back to me. Maybe God did create me to write. Maybe that is one of my talents, but maybe he also wants me to coach. It's stressful, and it doesn't pay well, and a lot of people don't like you. After all, we'll never make everyone happy. We're only human. We will make mistakes, but for those kids who, maybe, just a little bit, learned from us, or felt loved by us, or found us as a motivating force, that's why we do it.
For the first time in a long time I felt at peace with my career.
Tonight I received a text from a student I taught in League City five years ago. She's a thriving student at Texas State, as well as a thriving political activist. We're on opposite ends of this Presidential race, but in the real world, people, that really doesn't matter. "When I'm a super successful lawyer, you'll be one of the first people I thank for helping all my dreams come true."
No, thank YOU for reminding me my dreams come true daily. I am blessed.
