My dad loved the game and my older sister was the most aggressive basketball player I have ever seen to this very day. Thinking back on the way she would hold the ball and growl as she flung her elbows from side to side still sends chills of fear down my spine. I never dared try to take the ball from her, she was and still is pretty darn tough!
So I grew up playing basketball through the 8th grade. I even went to McCracken Basketball Camp the summer before Junior High and suffered through a running cramp the entire week, if you didn't know that was possible...it is...trust me!! I didn't continue in high school because I became a cheerleader...much to my big sister's dismay (we were polar opposites and still are but opposites attract, right? I think they do as long as you don't live under the same roof because we have a great relationship now but definitely had our fair share of WWE, WWF at the time, smackdowns and they were scary, let me tell you...I think Natalie would agree because I did have some pretty sharp nails...)
Needless to say I wasn't as strong or aggressive as my big sis, but I wasn't a china doll either. I could hang pretty tough, even if it wasn't with NKOTB (never liked them, sorry girls, remember I had an older sister who probably would have ended my life if I did, we liked U2! But I have to admit I couldn't hide my love for Debbie Gibson and she still rips on me about that!)
My boys are really into basketball right now regardless of the fact that their dad is Mr. Hockey. For any of you Trentonites, don't worry they still play hockey but are really enjoying the court too! I also would like to add that our Trenton Trojan boys varsity basketball team has won districts and their first game of regionals...the farthest they have gone since 1944...my mother-in-law's brother is the coach and it is all very exciting, so I guess the boys have inherited some basketball-loving genes from "daddy hockey's" side as well! Unfortunately the gene wasn't passed onto Joe and I will never forget the first time I played him in "Pig" when we just started dating and he literally turned red and got angry when I beat him. The boys did however take on the "Very Competitive" trait for sure!
So back to my original point...As some of you may know, I had a really bad scare last year. It was the day after Easter and the boys and I were shooting hoops in the driveway. They had the net lowered and Micah dared me to dunk. And in my sparkly flats I ran up and dunked but closed my eyes and held onto the rim because I was afraid the ball was going to hit me in the head. Next thing I know I am on the ground under the whole backboard, rim and net. Blood was pouring from my head and the boys were terrified. Later Jonah told me I screamed, "Help, Help me Jesus in heaven!" a few times. And THANKFULLY (bold caps don't express my gratitude) he did help me! Miraculously, I was not seriously injured. I did take my first ride in an ambulance and experience my first concussion and looked like a creature from Avatar for a week or so...but overall I recovered amazingly well. And I do admit, laying in bed for a week being pampered and loved on by my kids who are still traumatized to this day that their mama almost died in front of them was pretty wonderful (I know, I'm bad...when the kids are talking back or complaining I do pull out the "remember-when-I-almost-died-in-front-of-you?" card)
And a couple of people have brought up the big fall to me recently. And no they didn't call me "Floor Jordan" or "Vanilla Thunder" while bringing it up even though I have been referred to as both, hahaha very funny! And on Sunday at Micah's 3 on 3 tournament I was simply walking down literally 6 bleacher steps. Ayla and I were heading to the vending machine and I BIT THE DUST and accidentally tried to take down an 80-something year old man on my way down to the gym floor. I was down and down hard. The pain in my foot and wrist were over ridden by my embarrassment. One mom chuckled and said that was soooo something she would do and the rest of the crowd stared wide eyed and I just know they were all thinking "I am so glad that was her and not me..." I kept apologizing to the old man, I really do think I may have hurt him, he moved to the middle of the row for the next game, he wasn't going to let anyone else grab his poor shoulder on the aisle way again! I got up and Ayla was so concerned! Now I have fallen hard and flat on my back in front of all three of my kids at the basketball court...We got out in the hall and I didn't want to go back into the gym. I held Ayla on my lap and held back my tears as she asked me over and over if I was ok. I don't know if I was more excited that she cared or that she wasn't embarrassed of me. I did make my way back into the gym and avoided ALL eye contact with the crowd!
Someone told me that maybe I should stay away from the basketball court. That we don't go too well together. That may be true. Sometimes I feel like that with God. I believe a certain way, deep in my heart I have this desire to be one with Him And then I do something foolish, sometimes I don't even see it coming and my feet just fall out from underneath me and I wind up embarrassed by the things I have said or done, my example failed again. I don't want to look the people around me in the face. Sometimes, I am trying too hard to do something on my own that I am not cut out to do and the whole thing falls on top of me and I have no where to look but up...And maybe I should just stay away from church to save myself the humility of biting the dust in front of the congregation. But then I am reminded that if I never failed, if I never wound up down on the ground, I would have no need for a Savior. I am less but He is more, and His love for me will always be enough!!
And I don't think that I am going to be able to stay away from basketball, we have too long of a history together (even if I do have a scraped up foot from the latest fall!)
1 comment:
Love you Emily! Very cute story and encouraging message! Thank you for sharing :)
Post a Comment