A Prayer of Gratitude

Cozette enjoying her first Thanksgiving feast at preschool.

Have I ever mentioned that Cozette becomes a rooster when we have our family prayers? I am not sure why she becomes so silly. There's been plenty of times we stop to laugh at her. And have I ever mentioned that she usually will not pray with out a little help? We were surprised the other evening when she expressed that she wanted to pray by herself. I was not sure if she was going to be silly or stop mid-sentence. I can still see her little body next to our bed. She folded her arms, bowed her head, and proceeded to offer a very sincere prayer.

Here is what I remember her saying:

Dear Heavenly father,

I am thankful for Jesus. I love Mommy and Daddy. I am thankful for Kayleigh and Everett. Please bless Daddy to get better. Please bless Mommom and Papa. I love Grandma and Grandpa. Please bless my Grandpa to get better soon. Please bless my Daddy to get better...

 I need to mention that Brad is perfectly healthy. She asked two times for him to get better. I am the one who has been sick!

What she said next brought tears to my eyes.

Please bless baby Elijah...

Cozette has heard his name included in every prayer we say at night.  

I love bunny. I am thankful for my pillows. She ended the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. 

When Cozette finished, she looked at us knowing she had just done something very special. There is wonder in hearing a child say a sincere prayer of thanksgiving.

I have so much to be grateful for.

The Coach and Mr. Baseball

When I'm old,  I will remember the days of Coach and Mr. Baseball as some of my favorite.  Brad started coaching Everett about three years ago. I remember taking baby Cozette to the park. I barely paid attention--only when Everett came up to bat. I never noticed when Everett was in the outfield. I sure have come a long way. Nikki and I often joke that we should get part-time jobs as umpires. Sometimes, I even tease Brad that I should have been his assistant coach. I have never mentioned how much I love watching Brad with his teams. And I have never gone into detail how he has blessed the lives of so many little boys. There have been many parents come up to me over the years stating that he is the best coach they have ever had.   

One of my favorite memories is from last spring. We were playing in a tournament game. The boys were struggling. An umpire made a really bad call. Brad took off his hat and beat it against the dug out. It was one of those moments when the parents were watching Brad for his reaction. My sister and I started laughing. What struck us even more funny were some of the remarks of the parents!  

" Wow. I'm glad to see that he will get mad!"  

"I've never seen coach Brad mad before!"

"It's about time he got mad."

These were a few of the comments we heard. You see, Brad never loses his temper. He certainly never did with the boys, and he earned the respect and confidence of the boys and their parents because of it.

It appears Brad's coaching days have come to an end.  This is truly sad for me. Everett has been invited to be a part of a traveling team in the spring. This invitation was extended with the understanding that he does not play on Sunday. It amazes me how that boy has been blessed. I do need to mention that Everett had two other travel teams express they wanted him to be a part of their league if we would play on Sunday.


So, now Brad will turn in his coaching hat for a scouting uniform. He was recently called to be the 11 year old Scout Leader. He will be able to serve with Everett in Boy Scouts. We are very excited for this opportunity for them to be together.

Believe it or not, Boy Scouts is even more important to us than baseball!