Basketball

Grant is playing basketball again. It has taken a step up in intensity this year. More practices and tournaments on Saturdays. I thought he wanted to play but apparently I didn't discuss it with him because he hates it and wants to quit. I know that he is not going to be a team sports kind of guy long term but we thought it would be good for him to do something active and he might grow to like it. It's a fun sport you can keep playing into adulthood.

The first sign of trouble was one night in December when I went to pick him up at practice. They just aren't a competitive group of boys. One of them was heard saying before a game, "I can't wait to go home and try my new Axe shampoo!" Grant pretty consistently has his hands in his jersey and skips around the court. He just doesn't care! I don't consider myself to be a competitive person, but watching today was just painful! They lost by more than 20 points. When I got to the gym today, (the girls and I didn't make it to the first game) I saw Grant and expected to hear "We Won!" or "We lost", but instead I heard a breakdown of what he had eaten at the snack bar!

I feel torn about whether we should let him quit or not. Both Mike and I feel like we should make him finish out the season (although my resolve is weakening!) There isn't a lot left of the season and there are not a lot of kids in his age group so they kind of need all the bodies they can get! Is there value in finishing what you started? I think there is - it is good to learn to see things through.

But at the same time, as a Mom I feel like I don't want to value "finishing" over my child's gifts, uniqueness and desires. Isn't that important too? Letting them try things and in the process discovering who they are?

Ultimately, I will follow Mike's lead on this one. A few more weeks won't hurt him. I'm just not sure what the more valuable lesson is!

The Call of the Wild

I have an e-friend in Alaska - we've never met face to face but I'm really amazed by her and her family. They are fellow Village Missionaries and have 5 boys. They just moved to Galena, Alaska (look it up on a map) it's out there. You have to fly in and right now it has warmed up to 20 degrees below zero and there is daylight only 4 hours of the day! And I thought northern Minnesota winters were bad! So they are truly on an adventure of Faith and I asked her to write something about what God is teaching her. I love her honesty and I think you will too!

Hi. My name is Tricia Hayek. My husband and I are Village Missionaries in Galena, Alaska, and we have 5 boys aged 9, 8, 3, almost 2 and 11 months. When we first moved here this summer, Michelle asked me to write something for her blog about moving up to bush Alaska with 5 kids. I have continued to put this off, and labored about what to say, and to be honest, I still am unsure of what to write about. We moved to Galena, after almost two years on our first mission field, because we felt that God wanted us here, and not many people were knocking down the door to come. So we felt burdened, and came. To be honest, thinking about it in that light, it made me feel self-righteous. Here we were, willing to come all the way up here away from family and friends when no one else wanted to. God has sure had to work on my pride. He has had to show me that I am here as much (or more) for Him to teach me and work on my heart, than for me being a witness to others. I still struggle with that self-righteous attitude – every time someone tells me, “Wow! I could never move to Alaska!” It moves my pride up another notch. Then the Lord has to start over with me, and remind me that the only way I can make it up here, also, is because He is enabling me, and has called us here.

It's Gotta Be Real!

I cannot believe that it has been 3 months since I last blogged! I knew it had been a long time but time flies! There seems to constantly be a need right now - I'm sure none of you know what I'm talking about! But we went to Wyoming for Christmas to visit Mike's family. I had A LOT of time to think on the drive through North Dakota. And I've been thinking about my blog and how frustrated I've been to not be able to keep up. But there are days when I can hardly string a sentence together due to distractions, tiredness, old age :), and 5 kids, one husband and a puppy! I really don't want to write just to write - only when I have something worth saying which by the end of most nights is only "diet coke and TV!"

And so I want to be more consistent it writing - it's good for me. One of the things that I love the most about Christmas is getting Christmas cards and pictures from all our friends! I get giddy when I get the mail in December! I still have all the pictures hanging on my sliding glass doors and will probably leave them there until at least the end of January and then I still don't have the heart to throw them away so I save them!

One letter we got from a relative of ours was really eye opening. I know all about the ins and outs and troubles this family is going through and the letter from them was totally NOT reality. Everything was rosy and perfect right down to making cookies for the neighbors. It got me to thinking how many people might write things that are not reality. Most people I would have no idea because I don't see them that often. But I would much rather get a letter that honestly explains what is going on good or bad. It's just gotta be real or why bother? I think that I am a good enough friend to handle peoples tough times and I know my friends would be happy to shoulder the burdens in my life even if it does put a damper on the Christmas letter. One letter I read was honest about a divorce in their family. It was sad to read about, but I was glad they told us.

So in the new year I want to be real. I'm going to be honest about all that is going on even when it isn't pretty which is kind of a lot these days. I hope you feel like you can be too. You can always call or email me with all the real stuff in life!

It's good to be back! Stay tuned . . . .