What a Weekend!

As I sat on the couch tonight with 5 boys on my couch, eating enough food for a small army, my husband looked at me and said, "Aren't you going to love the next 5 years of your life?  Surrounded by boys all the time?"  I smiled and rolled my eyes like I always do but yes, I am going to love the next 5 years, and plan to love the next 50+ years after that!  I want to be that house where 'all the kids hang out' even though it has resulted in torn furniture, smelly rooms, an ever shrinking amount of food in the freezer and pantry, and a substantial hole in our living room wall downstairs thanks to Foxy's backside being thrown during a tackle game that seems to be the popular sport at the Terry home.

This weekend was a 3 day reminder that life moves pretty fast and in ways you might not expect.  I'd like to share some of the highlights!  Remember that when you have a day that seems frustrating, there will come a day when the blessings seem to overflow and hopefully, you are willing and able to share the abundance with those around you.

Friday morning we dropped Carter off at school a little before 7:00 AM.  He and his show choir group were loading a bus to go to Omaha for a Show Choir Competition.  Yes, Carter...and his show choir group.  Now, those of you from our home town know that the Terry guys are not generally known for their musical/dance abilities, but instead for their love of athletics, sports, and competition.  However, with our move to our new town, Carter was able to see that there is so much more to try and the day that he announced he wanted to try out for show choir was a day I'll not soon forget!  I actually thought he was kidding but he insisted that he was most definitely planning on trying out.  Try-outs came, several days of singing, dancing, and auditioning in front of a panel of judges.  He made it and has been practicing 3 mornings a week for most of the school year.  He and the other 30+ members performed at an Omaha high school and came away with the 1st place trophy!  It was a lot of fun, all of the parents sat together and cheered as if we had just won a huge game!  (All the 'sporty dad's' had on pretty big smiles too!)

As if that wasn't enough for a person to feel pretty good about their family, Rylee also had a big weekend.  She is the activities chair for her sorority and she was in charge of a major fundraiser on Friday.  She had been working for several months to get everything ready and was pretty nervous about all the details.  She had a lot of motivation for a successful night as she had visited the St. Jude Children's Hospital (the recipient of the monies raised) in Memphis in January.  The trip made a huge impact on her and she was excited to be a part of something so important that helps so many children every day.  We stopped to see her before the event and helped out with a few last minute things but since Carter's competition was the same night, we weren't able to participate in the actual event.  As I checked Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, I could tell things were running smoothly for the event and again, had that feeling that made my heart happy for my children.

We returned home after Carter's event and got a short night's sleep before his final basketball tournament Saturday and Sunday.  While his team didn't do as well as they would have liked to, it was still a great experience.  We talked about how sports are important, to be a member of a team, to compete, to do all those things we all know sports can do for kids, but we also talked about the things that are more important in the lives of the athletes:  friendship, commitment, experience, and leadership.  Long after the games are over, those valuable lessons live on.  I firmly believe that there should always be "season's" for sports, there should be baseball season, basketball season, football season.  My child is 13, I want him to experience life, not just courts, fields, and traveling.  A successful day is when he laughs, works, concentrates, and learns that yes, he will lose, be disappointed, discouraged, and frustrated.  I will not shield him from those things, I need him to know that someday, someone will be depending on him to make a difference, and he will need to see the needs of others above his own.  I guess that is why Rylee's event was so important to me.  It was that moment when I knew that she was doing things that would not make her wealthy or important, but instead doing something that would impact a child she will never meet.

God does work in mysterious ways...if you would have told me 5 years ago Ken and I would sit at my son's show choir competition, watch my daughter put together a huge event, and sit with 5 smelly 7th graders in my living room after basketball games all in one weekend, I would not have believed you.  But, His plans are greater, His ways are better, His power is magnificent.