Our 11-year-old son had an opportunity to play on two different baseball teams this spring. Now, wait a minute, do not think that I am bragging. Honestly, he was given an opportunity to practice with the teams, but his skill level is not up to par to play in any of the games. The cherry on top is Landon does not know any of the players on either of the teams!
At his first practice, he walked up to another player and asked if he wanted to play catch. The kid looked Landon straight in the face and said, “no.” My mommy heart just about crumbled as Landon walked out of the dugout holding back the tears. After walking to the bathroom, he wiped his tears, asked if it looked like he had been crying, and went back out to the field.
We are now three weeks into the season and he still has not found a buddy but he has learned to pick himself up and work through the emotions of being left out, not being the best on the field and learning that he must work harder than most. So many times, I have wanted to rescue him from these experiences. I have wanted to shelter him from the hurt and walk up to the other kids and say, “Hey, could I pay you to throw a ball with my son?” Or “Where are your parents? I would like to chat with them.”
But at the end of the day, I know this journey is one of growth and strength. In the end, Landon is being prepared for future hardships and without these small growing pains he will not be ready for the teen years, the marriage years or to become a father.
Isn’t this what life is really all about? No matter our age or our stage in life, we are still learning. We learn through our own struggles; we learn through watching others and through our own mistakes. These experiences shape the lenses we look through at life. The hurts we had as children often transfer to our adulthood.
I had a client just this last week explain to me that she was paralyzed with fear about making the financial decision to purchase a house. As she explained some of her childhood experiences, it became clear that there were wounds of not having enough in the past. Pulling out the cash for her downpayment was causing her anxiety. As we walked through what the future might hold, that she has already exceeded where her parents once were, she took a big sigh of relief and said, “I am ready!”
I hold on to each of your stories and they inspire me. Our clients truly are the salt of the Earth and watching them work through the emotional ride of purchasing or selling one of, if not, their biggest asset is a huge honor. I can’t rescue them from the hurts of the past, but the opportunity to walk with them into the future is one of my greatest blessings.
