Some accolades

Holden played his last baseball game last night. It wasn't just the last game of the season, but it was his last game in that league. He has been playing in this rec. league since he was six. But, the league only goes up to age 15, so he won't be able to play there next year. It was a little sad.

I started thinking last night that he will be going off to college in 3 years. It will be here before I know it. He's growing up so fast and I'm trying to cherish every moment between now and then.

I'm so proud to be his mom. He really is a great kid. He has his moments. Sometimes he makes me want to pull my hair out. He is 15 after all. But, mostly he's a good human being.

He's a very good athlete. He's really good at basketball and he's not too shabby at baseball. But, he's never cocky about it. He doesn't throw a fit when the ref or ump makes a bad call against him. I don't know if this happens in your area or not, but it happens here. He doesn't have a "I'm better than you attitude." He's confident about his playing, not cocky, and there is a big difference between the two.

They gave out awards last night. He made the allstar team. So, technically, he still has a few games to play, but it will be off somewhere else. Not in the ballpark in which he's always played. He also received a trophy for "homerun king". He and another boy tied with three home runs for the year. (One of them being a grand slam.)

The boy that he tied with is one of those kids who feels that he's such a better player than everyone else and he makes sure everyone knows it. Several people had come up to me to say they hoped Holden beat him. Now, it didn't really matter to me. I wanted him to do well. But, I'm much more concerned about his attitude. I want him to be a graceful winner as well as a graceful loser. That's what is really the most important. Besides, Holden has been playing ball with the other boy since they were 6. He is a good player and I wanted to see him get his recognition too.

I don't think I'm getting my point across very well. What I'm trying to say is that all those awards don't mean anything. While they are nice and I'm proud of him, it's the fact that he's such a nice kid that makes me the most proud.

During basketball season, we get a lot of comments from parents and coaches from other teams what a great player Holden is. Later, I'll walk by those same people and hear them say, " I don't like to watch so and so play. He just thinks he's so good." Unfortunately, you'll here these same people cheering against these kids. Once again, it comes down to the attitude on the court. It all comes down to being nice.

That's one of my pet peeves. People who are just not nice. I realize everyone has a bad day now and again, and may say or do something that they shouldn't have. Everyone screws up. But, it's the people who are just consistently mean and rude that get under my skin. Why can't people just be nice?

Sorry, I kind of got up on a soap box for a minute there. Back to Holden. I've kind of rambled a bit. He's not just a good athlete. He's also a very bright kid too. He's in the Beta Club. He ended this year with a 3.77 GPA (out of 4.0) And, that's without hardly ever cracking a book. If he would actually study once in a while, he could be a 4.0 student. He says he's going to start focusing on grades a little more next year. He has told me he wants to be a Dr. Now this is not anything I ever thought he'd want to be. When I asked him why, he said, "Because I want to find a cure for diabetes." Then, I asked why he didn't become a researcher instead. "Because I want to take care of people too."

Holden,

I just want you to know how much I love you and how proud I am of the young man that you have become. Know that you will make mistakes along the way, but how you handle those mistakes and what you learn from them is what really matters in the end.

You can be and do anything you want. Just stay down the path you've chosen and everything will be OK. There will be ruts in the road along the way and maybe a detour or two. But, I know that if you keep the attitude that you have now, you'll make it.

I love you and I'm so proud to say that I'm your mom.

Love,
Mama