Perseverance

As a mom we get to experience some things that are beyond explanation.  We learn from our children, teach our children and even hurt for our children...

There was a night a few years back that I would have done anything to take the hurt away from my son.  I had never heard a sound like that before, as he lay on the football field after taking a hard hit to the knee.  I was filming and didn't realize at first it was him.  I only heard a deep cry of agony and pain.  I didn't rush on to the field, I was told to never do that.  I waited. As they got him off the field and to the sidelines, I knew his knee was hurt pretty bad.  He refused to leave the field and sat there on the bench, ice on his knee, pain in his eyes in the cold October night...he wouldn't leave his team.

Turns out he had a torn ACL, MCL, meniscus and broken leg.  His season was ended.  Surgery followed along with a long 6 month rehab. I'm not really writing this to talk about his injury as much as I am writing to talk about what I learned from my 17 year old son. Perseverance.

He had his bad days, like the day his crutches flew across the room.  Overall, I have never seen an individual as focused on getting better and ultimately being stronger both physically and mentally.  He had a goal to play college football.  This injury was at the end of his junior year football season.  He had to miss basketball and track. He worked diligently to come back from this injury with a focus that wasn't going to be compromised.

Days of pain and not being able to do as much as he wanted were followed by days of success and going a little further.  Not only did he do his prescribed therapy, he changed his diet telling us that if he wanted his body to heal, he needed to feed it right.  How many kids have a fruit platter for their birthday! He got a bike and rode it seven miles to school because bike riding was good therapy.  The thing I learned from him is that no matter how bad it is, it can get better.  He pretty much had all the damage possible in his knee, but instead of giving up and throwing away his dreams, he knew he was going to be better.  This was a big bump in the road. 

His perseverance paid off...six months after his injury, he took college workout visits, and he attended football camp with his high school team and played his senior season.  He has gone on to play at the college level and will start his junior year and season in the fall.

If I could have taken that hurt from him that night, I would have in an instant.  The experience proved to him he can get through anything and taught me a lot about him.  Perseverance can get you where you want to be.

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."