We had a great weekend out at Shippensburg University.
Josh wrestled in the Western Regional MAWA Tournament, a qualifier for the Eastern Nationals.
The top 4 get to go from each Regional , and Josh finished 2nd. Losing a heartbreaker in the finals.
I am so glad that for a few hours we could forget about how much stress we are under.
Jobless since October , it is wearing us down. We try and keep our heads up, but daily it gets
a little harder.
Today the Unemployment benefits run out and if Congress does not extend them this week, we may
not have any benefits coming in.
I start school on May 3, and hopefully can find work in June as soon as I complete my course. I hope
this all works out and the extension comes thru. It is hard to think that we could be months away from
being homeless, and losing a great deal that we have worked for.
I try not to cry, I always try and smile around Josh and I don't want him to feel the stress.
I don't know anyone personally that is the same boat , but I know there are many out there.
I really hope we can all come thru this, but I know some of us won't.
All I do know is I will do everything I can to make sure Josh is ok.
He is the best , he is my world. I love him so very very much.
I want to see his dreams and hopes come true.

Another weekend ...another lesson....

To my son,

You had a tough time on the mat this weekend and the ride home was pretty quiet. I admit I was very disappointed but I later came to realize that I shouldn’t be and that it is all part of the journey you are taking.

When I watch you on the mat I worry that you are doing battle while unprepared and that I have failed in your preparation. As a parent that is my greatest fear, that you are unprepared to face the challenges that will come before you. I want you to be prepared for your match, but I’ve come to realize that it is the matches themselves that, are in the long run, win or lose, the things that ARE preparing you.

I think that the greatest benefit from wrestling is learning to face challenges and to demand the most from yourself. You learn to fight when you think there is no more fight left within you. You learn to get up after you’ve fallen, time and time again. You learn about sacrifice and about pain. You learn to endure and to overcome. This is what I want for you, not because I wrestled, but because these lessons are the true gifts of this sport. So, those losses today were actually part of this gift, and an important part of the journey.

My dream for you is to not just win championships and fill your room with medals. My dream for you is much greater and I hope you get much more from wrestling. I hope you learn to strive for greatness even if you fail in the attempt. I hope you learn to get up one more time when you think you can’t get up any longer. I hope you learn to not only face your fears, but to stare them down.

Wrestling isn’t about winning. It is about the desire to win. It isn’t about success, but rather the determination to succeed. I want you to succeed as a wrestler, not to win state championships, but I want you to be a successful wrestler so you learn to be all that you can. This sport can help teach you that, if you let it. I look forward to the seasons of our future as you go through these lessons and I’ll be in your corner for each and every one of them. I love you.