All In

In July we as a family came up with a family theme.  We wanted something that would be easy for the kids to remember.  Something that would bind us together, something we could state out loud that would serve as a powerful reminder as to how we approach challenges, commitments, and the love we have for each other.  The theme is “All In”. 

 Fast forward to this weekend, Saturday morning at 4:30am.   Our freshman daughter at KHS, Kendall, would be racing a 2-mile event on the JV Cross Country team.  Every week she gets faster and grows in confidence.  Saturday morning however was a bit different.  She complained of leg cramps and what I will describe as a “less than desirable attitude”.  We had what I hoped was a good talk and I sent her off to the team bus. 

 Five hours later I met her at the starting line at Cypress High School.  I asked her how she was feeling and she replied, “All In dad”.  As I looked across the starting line of the hundred plus girls representing 12 teams I hoped Kendall would live up to our motto.  Frankly I don’t care what place she comes in each week.  What I do care about is the effort she puts forth.

 Thirteen minutes later Kendall crossed the finish line and KHS finished 1^st place in the event.  When Kendall crossed the finish line I could see she was hurting, she had given the event everything she had.  She was soaked in sweat, her face grimaced in pain, and her breathing was far from controlled.  As we caught eyes the tears streamed down her face.  We hugged and with a trembling voice she said “All In dad”.  Not even my sunglasses could hide the closeness I felt to my daughter as the tears streamed down my face. 

 I know we all have these moments in our lives when we’re not quite feeling our best and when it would be easier to sleep in than go to work.  It seems it would be easier to give up on a commitment than to bear down and fight for important things.  In essence, it would be easier to give up than to be “All In”.  When I have these moments I try to think of how unbelievable it feels when I know I’ve given my everything, when I can look in the mirror and say that I was “All In”.  It is in these moments that I find peace and happiness, knowing that I’ve done my very best.