While I was in Baja a couple of weeks ago, I was in my cabin on the ship and thinking about hitting the sack after a long day of work. Suddenly my phone started buzzing and I could see it was a Facetime call from Hannah. She had the phone close to her face when I connected and screamed “I MADE THE TEAM!!!” It was a moment of pure joy, relief and accomplishment.
Hannah has been playing Parks & Rec basketball since 5th grade. This year she decided to try out for the school team. I knew she was anxious and was so proud of her for having the courage to try something she was unsure of. That is a life lesson that will carry her a lot further than her basketball skills.
Practice is daily after school and she still had some practices and a couple of games with her Parks & Rec team. At some point during the first couple of weeks of school practice she came to the realization that she wouldn’t be able to hang out with her friends as much. Lisha and I sat on the couch talking to her about this and I went into problem-solving mode as I typically do. None of my solutions, no matter how brilliant, seemed to help and only made her more upset. She finally got up and left.
As Lisha and I processed the conversation she said that Hannah was afraid of losing her friends and being alone. Therein lies the difference between listening and hearing. How could I have so completely missed it. Lisha hears and I listen…consistently. What does Jesus say often “He who has ears to hear.” I have ears to hear but often don’t. How is that?
One of my favorite times of the week is the 20-minute drive home I have with Hannah after picking her up from Youth Group on Wednesday nights. It’s our uninterrupted time to really talk. The Wednesday after this conversation, Hannah and I talked about her friends and that true friends don’t leave but rather stand by you for life and let you know when you headed down a dangerous road. I gave her some recent examples from my life.
Last week we had the joy of seeing some of these friends. Kevin and Adrienne Latz and their daughter Mia came for a weekend visit from Kansas City. We were encouraged, loved and just generally cheered up by their presence. Mark and Michelle came over and we had a great time. The kids got to hear more stories of pranks and other stupid things we did in college and hopefully they weren’t paying too close attention. Mom, don’t ask 🙂
When I read the words of the Apostle Paul, it’s clear that he had the same kind of friends who stood by him and prayed for him when all seemed lost.
We should all be so blessed and fortunate . I know that I am with my old friends and the new ones who have showed up in my life the past 6 months in many different ways and are quickly becoming old friends. Thank you all.
On the subject of blessings, it is snowing outside and a beautiful blanket of white lies in the trees and fields all around us. What a gift of beauty that I don’t take for granted just like an old friend.