Giving Credit---CJ

What a summer!! I always look forward to September. To me it brings routine back to our life. Once the summer hit, I knew my pregnancy was going to fly by-----and it did.

But this post isn't about school, routine or pregnancy. No, it's about CJ. I have to give that kid credit where credit is due. He has been no stop with sports since March and it will not end until after Thanksgiving.

He has an enormous amount of dedication----whether it be to God, his family, friends or sports. When he has decided to be dedicated to something, he gives it his all.

God
I stand in awe at times at the dedication CJ has to the Lord. It is a steadfast, unmovable dedication that is not afraid to stand up to a bus load of football players firing questions at him from everything from dating, differences in religion to how he feels about the death penalty. And it isn't just the players......he will take the time to have real conversations with the coaches too. He doesn't back down when he has a bunch of teenage boys "trying" to tease him because he doesn't date. Noticed I said "trying". That is because CJ (not us) has made the decision not to date. Because he came to this place on his own, he has a true conviction---not just mom and dad saying "no girls".

On his own he reads daily. For Christmas last year we got him a Chronological Bible. He is working his way through. He also enjoys reading books on worldview. Right now he is reading a book by John Piper.


Family
Football started last week. CJ was gone ALOT. Monday-Wednesday he left the house at 7 am and returned around 1. Thursday and Friday he was gone 7 am until 5ish and Saturday 7 am-1. LONG days. (Again, this is where his relationship with the Lord is truly tested. He is now out in the world, with no parents around.) CJ said something on Friday that I found very interesting and showed me where his heart really is in regards to our family. When he came home Friday I was upstairs resting in bed. He always comes and finds me to say hello. After jumping on my bed (yes, even at 16 he comes in and jumps on my bed) we got to talking. We started off with practice, the team ect....When we finished he got up and said "I feel pretty non-existent with the family this week. I don't like it." WOW! The world would have you think it is "normal" for a teenager to want to be away from their family. CJ didn't like being away from us so much. He is family oriented. He spends very little time in his room alone (usually only when he sleeping, cleaning it and practicing his guitar--with the amp). He likes being around us. I will take it!

CJ bringing Emily down the slide on a recent park outing.

CJ giving Emily a BIG hug after going down. He loves that girl!

Friends
I would say CJ is known by alot of different people----but true friends are but a handful. He knows the value of having like-minded friends. It is extremely important to have friends that love the Lord, respect each other and be able to share your heart with. He is faithful to his friends and would be there in a second if they needed anything.

CJ and his friends doing the Polar Plunge on January 1st, 2009.
There was snow on the ground, 30 degree air temp
But their friendship kept them warm : )

I have also seen CJ be a friend to those who others would find less desirable. He has such a heart of compassion. While others may be making fun of someone for being different, I have seen CJ lend a hand and encourage them. Baseball season comes to mind. There was a kid trying out that had one short arm (I am not sure why) and wasn't very good at baseball. I remember CJ coming home one day from tryouts upset because this kid thought whole-heartily that he was making the varsity team. CJ knew the ability wasn't there but didn't want to see this kid crushed. He encouraged him during try out and helped him out. CJ was thrilled when they ended up making this kid that team manager. CJ did everything he could to make him feel part of the team and have him join in.

Sports
I don't know how he does it. Sports are non-stop around here. From March until June CJ played on the varsity baseball team at the local high school. This meant practice/games 5-6 days a week. The day after baseball ended in June for highschool he started practice with the town team. He had practice once a week plus 2-3 games a week. He also helped Chris coach Zachary's team and went to all of Alex's games. Then on top of all that, he made the All-Star team, which meant another practice and more games during the week. There were times during July/August that he played 5 games total over a 3 day period. He did it----and did it without complaining.

CJ pitching during a game with the town team.
CJ plays many different positions including
catcher, pitcher, outfield, short-stop and first.
Each team utilizes him in a different way.

To our relief, he did get a break between baseball and football-----4 DAYS!!!! He made the most of those days. Now football season has begun and that will be 5-6 days a week (a total of over 25 hours a week). It takes dedication to work your body physically that much a week.

As you can see, I am pretty proud of my son and the choices he is making in his life. He is becoming a great young man. I am enjoying his "teenage" years. Our biggest problem----ALGEBRA!!!!! In the big scheme of things....if that is my biggest problem than I think we are doing alright.

On the surface, if you didn't know CJ personally you would think sports is his life. A few years ago I might have agreed with you. But with maturity he has put it in its proper place. CJ has this as his tag-line on his emails----I think it says alot......

"If I'm only remembered as a good athlete, I've done a bad job with the rest of my life."