just do your best

Every month on the 28th, I get to have a baking date with my godson Micah. 

I love it for so many reasons.... 

1) I get to be with him one on one.  

2) We usually create something in the kitchen that involves chocolate. 

3) While the chocolaty goodness is baking in the oven, we usually get to read some of my favorite picture books that I don't read as much anymore with Anna and Taylor since they are into chapter books these days.  

4) I get to have sweet conversations with him that I would not get to have otherwise.. 

One of those conversations happened on Monday when we were hanging out. I happened to ask him how he was liking track this year.  And all of a sudden, I felt like he was this grown-up talking to me as he said, "The important thing about track is that you need to do your best. It does not matter if you win or lose- you just need to try your best."  We then talked about the track meets and how sometimes it is fun to get a blue ribbon, but it was awesome to hear that this was the first thing that came out of his mouth. 

These were wonderful words for me to hear as I look at some of my running in this training, as I think about my work with teachers, as I reflect on parenting and marriage, or as I look at just about anything in my life... 

Abby- you will remember the book by Margaret Wise Brown from teaching. I imagine you did a writing project using this book at one point or another. 

I want to leave you with this.... 

The important thing about this season in Pittsburg is to do your best. 

You will have lots of adventures in a day. 

You will learn new things, meet new people, find new places to explore. 

You will wait. 

You will breathe (with breathing treatments) or through a straw.

You will inhale and exhale. 

You will wait some more. 

You will love each other in the midst of all of this. 

But the important thing about this season in Pittsburg is to do your best. 

sending you much love and the wisdom from a 5 year old.