Quote of the Day: “A door that seems to stand open must be of a man’s size, or it is not the door that providence means for him.” Henry Ward Beecher
Today, I want to talk about miracles, those moments in each day where something incredible happens but could easily be missed. I’m not talking about the big miracle of winning the lottery or missing a car accident by a few seconds, but the little tender mercies that often go unnoticed. We might be touched for a second but then we move on, taking care of the mundane, and then the opportunity to express gratitude for that miracle is lost. It happens to me everyday and I’m grateful when I realize the miracle. Yesterday, at Tennis & Tutoring, Francisco, a 6th grader, asked me if he could continue on with TnT in junior high. He came off the court and obviously was loving his relationship with tennis, and with the awesome instructors: Katie, Alex, Taylor and David. Last summer, I went to Francisco’s house, had his brother get him out of bed to come to a tennis match and apparently it had an impact of him. Yesterday, he also said I could certainly come to his house again, if needed. Simple words, sure, but there was so much more implied.
All of us, overseeing the TnT students, are touched each day by what happens in the classroom and on the courts. I’m not saying it’s all positive but most of it is. I am deeply vested in these kids. I feel directed to watch over them. Part of my job is waiting with the students for their parents to pick them up at the end of the session. They are not allowed to walk home alone but sometimes the parents are late or they tell their kids to just walk home. I can’t allow that but last night Rosa told me that her Mom was up ahead and she and Jorge would meet her. I got in my car and drove down the road and they were walking by themselves. Rosa said they had to go across a street and then down a few blocks. She pointed “Just down there”. I followed them in my car, watched them cross a busy intersection and then walk a block. Soon Rosa pointed and showed me where her Mom was waiting with a smaller child. I know these parents love their children so much but life is so much harder for them than for the people in my neighborhood. And next week it will be close to dark when the children leave.
Although, I would never wish a cancer diagnosis on anyone, I know that this process has taught me so much more than I could have learned without it. And I know my spirit, I know I would have volunteered to be tested, I would have thought I was up for the big challenges in life but here on this earth life, in the trenches, it’s so much harder than it would seem. And I heard someone say this past week “Everyone has a story” and it’s true. It’s what you do with your story that has impact, positive or negative, on the rest of the world.
Here’s some of my awesome TNT kids!
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