Ain't too proud to beg

For God's forgiveness....

Leonidas does BMX racing (yes, at 5 years old.. don't get me started). So this is the last month they are having races. Wednesday the sun hit the sky nice and bright, so I thought... perfect! After school the boys and I went down to the race track to practice. Don Juan can get around the track on his walmart bike while Leonidas races around the track on his arm & leg bike. I say arm & leg because that's what it seemed to cost us. My hubby thankfully decided to sacrafice his summer football camp earnings to cover the cost, but I consider myself fairly frugal... spending that much on a 5 year old was a tough decision. What convinced me was his constant prayers since he could ride his bike w/o wheels @ 3 yrs old.... "Jesus Lord, please let me ride my bike... Amen!" He's been praying that same prayer for 2 years straight, & he doesn't EVER miss saying it.

So anyway! We raced that night & Leonidas took 1st place! I was so proud of him. He didn't stop for anything. He raced hard & totally earned it. He went to get in line where they offer a trophy, a medal, or $2 back from what you paid to enter in the race. I reminded him to get a trophy (you know... because it's bigger and all..), but when he stepped off of the platform I saw him holding a medal. It did have 1st place on it, but for a split second I was disappointed. I thought, why not take the bigger item? HA! Like I even earned the trophy, let alone the right to tell my son what he should pick.  Then ugliest thing came to my mind.... Angel... that was PRIDE! *Shiver* Yech! Do you see how easily that snuck in? I wanted the trophy for him. I thought it was better than the medal, but you know what? If getting the medal makes him happy, then I am good! This wasn't my choice to make! Thank goodness the thought was only for a second, but I am still acknowledging it as a moment of weakness.

This society has caused us to look for the bigger and better each time. Whatever happened to simple things? Cell phones for example: If it doesn't include internet, it's considered out dated! When I was younger, cell phones used to look like bricks!! Even before cell phones we had pagers (I totally aged myself with that... didn't I?). I mean, seriously... I remember when I was 11 years old. I walked home alone, I had to wait until I got home to call anyone, we didn't have call waiting, didn't have caller id... heck, we didn't even have an answering machine there for a while! During dinner, if the phone rang... you let the answering machine get it. For goodness sakes, my mother traveled with my brother and I (he was 10 & I was 7 years old) ACROSS the country MANY times WITHOUT a cell phone.... we are still alive today. Now, people go back home if they forget their cell phone, they answer it (or text) when they're driving, check their emails obsessively, and if someone doesn't answer their cell phone we wonder why they couldn't answer our call.... it's all just a mess!! Instant gratification does not teach us patience!! Can I get an AMEN?!