football – keep opening doors

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that our oldest daughter loves playing football. Her artwork reflects this love, too.

Here is her entry into the PTA Reflections Arts Recognition Program Contest; this year’s theme is: Believe, Dream, Inspire.

She chose to draw a portrait of herself in the future, following her dream of playing football, believing in her herself, and inspiring other girls and boys to play sports, stay strong, and to follow their dreams as well.

This morning, she was thrilled to learn that her drawing won first place at the school level in her category and grade level and will advance on to the school district level in the competition.

I continue to be inspired by her courage to follow and share her dreams; I am proud of her inner strength and belief in herself. In sharing what she loves, I believe that she is opening doors for those around her and helping others believe in themselves and follow their dreams as well.

Yesterday was an incredible day for our daughter. Pro Football Day finally arrived; she had been counting down the days all week and was beyond excited to get out and push herself in the quarterback challenge, to run and compete in professional drills, and to PLAY FOOTBALL all day. I dropped her off at the field and had no doubt that she would have a great day.

When I arrived at pick-up, it was evident that she played hard.

Elated, she walked toward me and wasted no time in showing me all of her times on her player profile card. Her confidence was overflowing; she was energized and proud of herself and her accomplishments; she seemed changed by her positive experiences from the day.

I asked her if Coach gave her the football that she was carrying. A broad smile crossed her face as she let me know that she–and a friend from school (Congratulations, Michael!)–were both awarded the MVP award for the day because of a combination of their positive attitudes and scores from the day.

Once home, after a moment or two of rest and a snack, she and I headed to the backyard to play catch with her MVP award.

Watching our daughter work hard and find both success and joy in something she is passionate about is such a gift!

At the end of the day, our daughter summed up the whole day nicely when she announced, “Today was the best day ever!”

Tag: football

Believe, Dream, Inspire

Best Day Ever!