A Moment Most Disappointing

Last night the world series ended and my team didn't win. I am not a good loser, never have been and never will be, but I am learning to cope a little better as the years go by.

An incident that stands out in my mind is watching a football game that determined which team would go to the State playoffs. The game was tied and in the very last seconds, a pass was beautifully caught by the receiver over the top of the defender for a victory.

A victory for the other team. The defender - my son.

I can't describe the feeling I had as a mother watching my son in the end zone, his head down on his knee. It took my bad-loser attitude to a new level.

But something happens in situations like that - or can happen. Champions are born, character is built, men are made. We get to see what people are made of in times of challenge, trial and disappointment. I wasn't disappointed in what I saw that night.

If we won all the time, we would begin to think that life is like that.

And it is not.

Someone I greatly admire once said,

“[The fact is] most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. …

“Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.

“The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride”.