After watching the 49ers fall apart in the second half of the NFC Championship and BYU's Men's Basketball team crumble in triple overtime, I would not have expected this to turn into such a great week for sports. It started Saturday morning with Brody's Junior Jazz game. It was only his third game, but it has been fun to watch him grow so quickly. The first week he played great defense but didn't have any chances on the offensive end. Last week there was some definite improvement. But this week was just a joy to watch. He was clearly one of the two best players on the floor. He snagged several rebounds, dribbled the length of the court, made some great stops and some great passes, too, but the most memorable thing was his first basket. Sure he shot about 20% for the game, but all I will remember was the look on his face as he ran back on defense.
McKinley's first scrimmage for the indoor soccer season was later in the afternoon and she put on a showcase. She handled her nerves better than I have ever seen. Usually it's the third game before she starts to relax and play with confidence, but today she was so composed. It helped that she started as the center fullback, which is her favorite position. Nothing was getting by her; she helped to keep the other team scoreless. But her best play came on offense. Her coach talked to her during the game about moving forward when the ball was at the other end. Late in the second half, she advanced as a ball was played into the midfield about 40 feet from the goal. I watched with pride as she accelerated and struck the ball on the move. It was a perfect strike, flying above the heads of the other players and into the back of the net. It was the best play that I have ever seen her make.
All of which goes to show that the failures of my favorite sports teams mean nothing in comparison to the accomplishments of my children. Only one thing makes me feel greater happiness than to see my children reach a milestone, accomplish a goal, or fulfill a dream. That one thing is knowing that their accomplishments are molding them into happy, confident people with a sense of purpose and knowledge that they can do anything they put their mind to. I am one proud father!
