Tiza has just completed her first season of sports here in America. The teams she cheered on consisted of two soccer and one football. While we were in Ethiopia, soccer was always playing on the televisions in the hotel. The country seemed passionate about sports and Tiz is no exception. We brought her to the games and she was a textbook fan. She cheered when we cheered. She'd point out where Levi, Jake and Josie were while on the field. She even sat through some rainy games with us, no complaints.
Watching Tiza cheer on her siblings opened my eyes to what team spirit is all about. During the last play of the first quarter of Levi's first football game, he suffered a concussion. At the time, we were expecting a nice, easy, quick recovery concussion, you know, the kind that doesn't interfere with life too much. Instead, Levi suffered symptoms for five and a half weeks. He was unable to "do" school and spent much time sleeping, in therapy and healing. It was in that, where I saw Tiza's team spirit shine. Instinctively, she recognized when one of your own is down, you get right down with them. You meet them where they are at and you get up only when they do, only at the speed they set, nothing faster, nothing slower. You allow them to take the lead. For those of you that have met our Tiz, you understand she's filled with energy, taking things slowly isn't within her and yet as Levi worked his way through the initial days and then weeks of his injury, Tiza stuck right with him. She understood his pace and asked for nothing more. On several occassions, I would find Tiza curled up with Levi while he slept. She was simply there for him. Without words, but with great love, Tiza continued to cheer on Levi with the energy and enthusiasm she would have had he been playing the game. It wasn't the game that impressed Tiza, it was the player in the game, regardless if he could play or not. Thanks for showing me Tiz that sometimes team spirit takes place on the sidelines. Often it is behind the scenes and mostly it involves seeing the heart of the player, not the game itself. Tiza's committment to cheer on Levi was therapeutic for him. When he'd wake up, his first question was, "where's Tiz?" She offered him what I could not. She reminded me that you don't need to be able to play the game in order to be considered part of the team. Tiza was on Levi's team when it mattered the most.
Tiz also broadened my scope regarding a team's fan base. Past seasons, I've tended to play it safe and socialize with those I knew. Apparently, this was far too boring for our Tiza. She introduced me to countless fans, many of whom were cheering for the opposing team. As I stood next to them, sometimes in awkward silence while they cheered against my kids' team, I was able to catch a dose of what I sound like on the sidelines. Tiz remained indifferent to all of it. She clearly understood that as much as fans cheer for teams, their hearts cheer for their children, and that's the way it should be. Tiz loved the fans more then the game itself. If a spectator appeared the least bit interesting, she simply needed to meet them. Through the course of the sports season, it became obvious that she was partial to fans bringing their dogs to the games or wearing sparkly shoes. Often, I had to peel her away from the feet of women with bright pedicures and sparkly flip-flops. They were gracious with their personal space, and Tiza ventured in.
For those of you with children involved in anything extracuricular, you are aware of the time and sacrifice that takes place on your family. The amount of time running to and from practices, the games, stange dinner hours....as new as this was to Tiza, she took it all in stride. Her set schedule was really no schedule at all. Her day and my day, were the events listed on our calendar. We remain amazed at Tiza's ability to adapt. When we were picking Tiza up from the orphanage, we were given a listing of times and activities, "this is when she eats, this is when she sleeps, this is when we put her on the toilet." At the time, I mentioned to Marc, "we should be writing this down." We didn't, but I remember much of what we were told and it leaves me more in awe of what and who Tiza is. She is gifted with the ability to compromise, adjust and most importanly, fully live and love the day she is given. The people within the day are her bonus gift. Tiza continues to introduce us to the people in her day. With each introduction, our lives have become broader and richer and fuller. As Tiza's team continues to grow, so too, do our hearts. Thank you Tiza for gifting us with your team spirit. We will never cheer in the same way again.
Watching Tiza cheer on her siblings opened my eyes to what team spirit is all about. During the last play of the first quarter of Levi's first football game, he suffered a concussion. At the time, we were expecting a nice, easy, quick recovery concussion, you know, the kind that doesn't interfere with life too much. Instead, Levi suffered symptoms for five and a half weeks. He was unable to "do" school and spent much time sleeping, in therapy and healing. It was in that, where I saw Tiza's team spirit shine. Instinctively, she recognized when one of your own is down, you get right down with them. You meet them where they are at and you get up only when they do, only at the speed they set, nothing faster, nothing slower. You allow them to take the lead. For those of you that have met our Tiz, you understand she's filled with energy, taking things slowly isn't within her and yet as Levi worked his way through the initial days and then weeks of his injury, Tiza stuck right with him. She understood his pace and asked for nothing more. On several occassions, I would find Tiza curled up with Levi while he slept. She was simply there for him. Without words, but with great love, Tiza continued to cheer on Levi with the energy and enthusiasm she would have had he been playing the game. It wasn't the game that impressed Tiza, it was the player in the game, regardless if he could play or not. Thanks for showing me Tiz that sometimes team spirit takes place on the sidelines. Often it is behind the scenes and mostly it involves seeing the heart of the player, not the game itself. Tiza's committment to cheer on Levi was therapeutic for him. When he'd wake up, his first question was, "where's Tiz?" She offered him what I could not. She reminded me that you don't need to be able to play the game in order to be considered part of the team. Tiza was on Levi's team when it mattered the most.
Tiz also broadened my scope regarding a team's fan base. Past seasons, I've tended to play it safe and socialize with those I knew. Apparently, this was far too boring for our Tiza. She introduced me to countless fans, many of whom were cheering for the opposing team. As I stood next to them, sometimes in awkward silence while they cheered against my kids' team, I was able to catch a dose of what I sound like on the sidelines. Tiz remained indifferent to all of it. She clearly understood that as much as fans cheer for teams, their hearts cheer for their children, and that's the way it should be. Tiz loved the fans more then the game itself. If a spectator appeared the least bit interesting, she simply needed to meet them. Through the course of the sports season, it became obvious that she was partial to fans bringing their dogs to the games or wearing sparkly shoes. Often, I had to peel her away from the feet of women with bright pedicures and sparkly flip-flops. They were gracious with their personal space, and Tiza ventured in.
For those of you with children involved in anything extracuricular, you are aware of the time and sacrifice that takes place on your family. The amount of time running to and from practices, the games, stange dinner hours....as new as this was to Tiza, she took it all in stride. Her set schedule was really no schedule at all. Her day and my day, were the events listed on our calendar. We remain amazed at Tiza's ability to adapt. When we were picking Tiza up from the orphanage, we were given a listing of times and activities, "this is when she eats, this is when she sleeps, this is when we put her on the toilet." At the time, I mentioned to Marc, "we should be writing this down." We didn't, but I remember much of what we were told and it leaves me more in awe of what and who Tiza is. She is gifted with the ability to compromise, adjust and most importanly, fully live and love the day she is given. The people within the day are her bonus gift. Tiza continues to introduce us to the people in her day. With each introduction, our lives have become broader and richer and fuller. As Tiza's team continues to grow, so too, do our hearts. Thank you Tiza for gifting us with your team spirit. We will never cheer in the same way again.
Mary thank you and thank you again for keeping us updated but also for reminding all of us what is most important.
ReplyDelete