Ah . . . the winds of change

Well, softball is now officially over. We played the state tournament last weekend and made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Butler, whom we had beaten earlier in the season. They lost to Oldham, who lost to Scott County, who lost to Ryle, whom we had also beaten. Ryle went to the final and lost to Greenwood. We just didn't really show up the second day of the tournament, so it was kind of disappointing. but making it to the top 8 in the state isn't bad. I also remembered after the game ended why I coach. It was such a tiring and frustrating year that sometimes you ask why you're doing it. But at the end of the season, all the girls were sitting in a circle - many were crying, I saw girls who had learned to step up as leaders, who had started to overcome their own self-doubt, some who had not allowed themselves to be the player and leader they could have been, and many who just loved the game and the challenge. I don't know if I was able to teach them all the things that i have learned from sports and from life, but I have been witness to so many of them becoming someone new. I got emotional - which usually doesn't happen with the teams I coach except in one-on-one settings. But they are one reason I have loved Louisville. They want to be good and they want someone to tell them that they can be something more.
So now I have decided I really need to use more time to write. I have had quite a few interesting discussions with colleagues from my networks and work about moments of choice and how those moments determine who we are. I have also started doing some background research on social identity and positive psychology for some of the things I want to explore in my phD. Maybe I should figure out when I'm going to do my phD first?!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the phrase "Well done, thou good and faithful servant". In the end, this is really what we are striving for, isn't it? This is the fulfillment of the first commandment - to love God above all else. We will become like Christ as we are striving to do our Father's will. And if that is indeed the most important thing to me, then all I need to hear is "well done". And it is something I can hear daily if I do His will and ask. Imagine if I kneel every morning and listen to know His will for me that day. And what if I did it each and every single day and then knelt and asked Him if He would accept that day in my life as an offering to Him? I can feel the answer and approbation every day if I will just listen and ask! And if I do, what can possibly be too hard for me to overcome? It will still be a struggle, but I will know He is there.