When I was 11, my mom decided that we (my sister and I) should play club volleyball, which was great because it taught me sportsmanship and kept me active. It also taught me that I am NOT very athletic at all and I probably should've signed up for sewing classes or something. :D There was one practice that was particularly hard for me, not just physically, but also mentally. The coach kept yelling and going on and on about how I needed to move my lazy butt (not just at me of course, but when you're 11, that's what you assume). I finally decided that I was done! I proceeded to tell my mom about how I felt in the car ride home and she seemed to be okay with it and said, "Well, it's your decision", but she also seemed really sad about it. The next day my mom sat me down and said, "Ardis, today I heard something on the radio that I thought would be really good for you to listen to. I went to the radio station and got a copy of the tape for you." (I wonder if my mom still has it or if she even knows where it is?) It was a guy talking about NOT giving up, about how things can and WILL get hard but to not give up and to keep trying. After listening to that tape, I decided to stick it out. Not because of what the guy on the tape had said but because I felt in that moment that my mom believed in me. I'm sure she knew that I didn't have the natural born skill of a star volleyball player, BUT she also knew that I needed to try Hard Things and to follow through and Finish what I started (oh how I wish that attitude had stuck with me through college!!). I went on to play high school volleyball and sucked really, REALLY bad (I only played my Freshman year) ~ I was the sub to the Sub for goodness sake....seriously pathetic!! It's alright though because I have a fond memory that comes from my days with volleyball~ I will always remember listening to the tape with my mom and thinking "Wow, she went to the RADIO STATION for me?", but more importantly, that she Believed in Me!
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