Sowing Seeds: Hard Work and Dedication

 Today I was watching out the window as my girls were washing the car, thinking about how quickly they seem to grow up. Wasn't it just yesterday they were little ones toddling around the house. Now they are 15 1/2 and 12 year old beautiful young ladies.

I was thinking about the various seeds that we sow into our kids over the years as they grow up. Seeds such as loyalty, love, laughter, joy, strength, honor, obedience (which I believe comes out of honor), hard work, determination, compassion, dedication, friendship, faith...and on and on the list goes. We never stop sowing seeds. But as they grow up it's as if those seeds get sown a bit differently and sometimes we just sit back and let them take root and grow on their own...we still water here and there, but they have to grow on their own. 

They've done well. Sure I need "prune" things here and there, and sometimes just want to, well, cut the whole thing down...smile, smile! Sometimes I have to remind them of the values we have as a family and that sometimes they look different than other families, and that's okay, but please honor our values and just be "you"!

Hmmm, none of that really had anything to do with my original thought but that's okay. Two seeds that we have sown into our girls is hard work and dedication. Sure, sometimes our girls can be downright lazy (at home) and have to be pushed and cattle prodded to get things done. BUT when they work, they work hard, especially when helping others, or working as a team. 

Kat is an amazing administrator and honestly could probably organize some things better than some adults I know. Both girls are always willing to jump in and help, if helping is needed. 


Over the last 6 months or so, we were sowing into Kat, the idea of playing golf for the high school. She was hesitant, but one day a few months ago she walked down to the neighbors (who happens to be the gentleman we bought our property from, who also happens to be the HS golf coach) to give it a "try". He worked with her for about an hour and she came home smiling and saying...I'm going to do it. I'm going to try out for the golf team. So she signed up. She started practicing. She has NEVER golfed in her life, except for Putt Putt Golf...does that even count? But her coach said she had a great personality for it and great form. 
The only real thing ever holding her back was the fact that she had never played before. All it took was some encouragement, apparently by someone other than mom and dad, that she could do it. One thing about Kat is when she becomes a part of something, she will give it her all and do what it takes to become better and to be an asset to the team. 

This last week has been spring break and there has been no practice or matches. Hubby encouraged her to get some time in anyways, which wasn't sounding too fun since all we've experienced this week was rain, rain, rain!!! Oh, let's add some snow and rain in there as well.

 On Tuesday (I think it was Tuesday...it could've been Monday) I drove Kat to the golf course so she could hit some balls. It was raining and yet there she was hitting balls for about 45 minutes before calling it quits.

Yesterday she went to the coaches house to hit some balls for a bit and today she is at the course with hubby hitting again. She is dedicated to whatever she does and she works hard at it. I love that about her.

Nan is the same way...she will work hard and she is dedicated. They often express these things differently, even though they are the same seeds. I love their uniqueness. We are teaching them that the things they "do" aren't to be done out of "performance" mentality, but out of love, relationship and honor. Yes, they perform, but it's not to gain approval, because no matter how they perform, we approve of them and love them. Their performance isn't part of their identity, it's not who they are. They perform out of honor, relationship and love for their teams, or whoever it is they are a part of in which performance is involved. And they will give their all to it.

 

With Joy UNquenchable,