Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. As you know, with this time of year comes FOOTBALL TIME in Tennessee. Though I am not a die-hard football fan, the men in my family love it. This weekend is one of the first weekends in a long time when we haven’t had anything scheduled. No weddings. No weekend appointments. Nothing! I hope you can enjoy these next few days and the nice fall weather.
Quote of the week: “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” –Benjamin Franklin
Movie of the week: This week’s movie is a family favorite: Little Giants. It’s a kid’s football movie in which Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill star as brothers who constantly compete about everything in life. Ed O’Neil’s character is a football player who goes on to the NFL, while Rick Moranis’ character runs the town’s gas station. Each of these brothers, who have vastly differing views of what it means to be a success, starts a pee-wee football team. I think you will really enjoy it.
Joke of the week: What would you get if you crossed a football player with the Invisible Man? Football like no one has ever seen.
Nugget of Wisdom for the week: This week I want to use the movie I mentioned above to talk about something important: persistence. In the movie, Danny (played by Rick Moranis) is talking in the locker room to his team after going through a brutal first half of their final football game. Danny confessed to the team that he always got beaten by his brother Kevin (played by Ed O’Neill) when they were kids. Well, all except for “one time.” Danny beat Kevin at something on one occasion and was extremely proud of that moment. His story led the kids on the team to talk about their own “one time” successes, and they all got pumped up and ready to take on the opposing team in the second half.
In life, we often feel like we experience more losses than wins. Tough situations can seem more severe when you’re in the middle of them than when you have made it through to the other side, with all of the stress and agony behind you. When struggling in such situations, remember the “one time” moments when you did find success. They will give you that extra push to keep going when you feel like quitting.
Have a great weekend. Remember, you are most awesome, and YOU ROCK!
Marion Rhines is a foster-turned-adoptive parent. She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., with her husband and five children. She has written and published two children’s books as well as two foster-care-themed novels. She has a Facebook blog, Tips from the FLIP Side, and enjoys working with children of all ages.
