A Good Work-out For Your Heart

If you want to get a good cardiac work-out, just watch your little boy put on a set of shoulder pads and a football helmet.

 Watch as he and his friends get ready to play a little game of tackle in the yard!

 Pinch yourself a few times and ask, where did the last 11 years go?  Who IS this young man??

 Ladies and gentlemen, here are your 2017 Potosi Chieftains.  And cheerleading squad ;)

 I don't know how you could get bored watching football, played in its purest form.

 Our son is lucky to have sisters who support him in scorekeeping, photography, and cheerleading.  Maybe they're just happy to have him tackle somebody ELSE for once!!

Maybe it's that I'm not used to it, but gosh boys are fun to hang around with sometimes.  They give it everything they've got, and they are not self-conscious about it. As Dr. Leonard Sax writes, in fact, boys tend to over-estimate their abilities.  That is a great thing in most instances (but can lead to risky injuries in others)!!

 We kept score because, what is the point of playing a game without keeping score?  My heart stretched out for both teams to win.  Every kid was a friend.  Every kid played their heart out.   They were sooo much fun to watch and listen to!

Mark did a great job of keeping the boys focused on the task at hand.  Referee, timekeeper, coach and equipment manager all in one!

Cy's stats at age 11 are weight: 110 pounds and height: 4 feet 11.5 inches.  He is not afraid to make contact with other kids.  Not the nimblest of fingers, but one of the quickest to make a tackle!  The last play of the game, in fact, he tackled this same boy (Brady, a very good little ball player) out of bounds, right into the riding lawn mower.  Brady didn't respond for a few seconds, and by the sound of the hit, we were afraid someone was seriously hurt. Parent's heart nearly stopped... Thank goodness everybody was just fine!!

My heart swells with pride, amusement, joy, frustration, confusion, and elation with this kid.  He makes life a bit more messy and a lot more interesting.

The night after this celebration, our hearts got another workout at Mark's varsity game.  Blackhawk is always a tough place to play and an excellent match-up.  We were 0-0 after 2 quarters, then 6-6 at the end of three.  We went up by a field goal and were driving for another touchdown, when one of our backs fumbled on the 2 yard line with 2:50 left on the clock.  The Warriors drove down the field and scored a touchdown, going up by 4 points with 31 seconds left in the game.  What a heart-ache to see their receiver make a great play to score, with little time left to come back!  But my husband never gave up, his kids never gave up, and I held onto the hope that with time left on the clock, anything could happen.  Two plays and 55 yards later, our quarterback threw a "hail mary" into the corner of the endzone, where our back jumped up, caught the ball, and scored!! TOUCHDOWN CHIEFTAINS!!  The clock was empty and our hearts were full.  The players, coaches, managers, statisticians, and fans flooded onto the field to celebrate.  What a thrill!

Cy will not soon forget his 11th birthday weekend.  Football, family, friends, fun, and faith to never give up hope.  What more could your heart ask for?

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. --Psalm 37: 3-4