My children

   Feeling down? Feeling blue? Has something been weighing heavy on your heart and keeping you from really enjoying life? I have the solution and stumbled across it by accident. If you ask me it should be standard therapy for those who are, or think they are suffering from depression. It requires children. You’ll need a little league ball field and some knowledge of baseball. Throw in an adult child struggling with trying to better themselves and all of your worries about yourself will melt away.

   My youngest (the boy) started little league ball this spring. My middle child (the girl) started softball. My oldest child (the woman) is working through college. Watching all of them go through something new, challenging and at times difficult for them lifts me out of the doldrums without side effects and without the involvement of medical professionals. The boy had tryouts the other night and on the way there he told me he was so excited his stomach hurt. He was eager and looking forward to something he knew nothing about without fear and trepidation, but rather with excitement and eagerness. We arrived early and had a quick orientation and he went through the coaches’ drills with gusto, giving it his best effort. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone about what he can do and show off his gear.

   My youngest girl is signed up for softball. She did not have to try out but yesterday we had to cover the basics and she was determined to at least be able to look like she knew what she was doing. With determination and grit she practiced batting, throwing and even ran a lap or two around the field for dad. Exuberant is the way I would describe both of their approaches to this new endeavor. The girl knows she may get hurt, she knows she can’t play very well yet, but with my guarantee that she will get better over time she presses on.

   My oldest (the woman) is married and working full time; starting a life with her husband and trying to make it the best possible. She is forever looking for new ways to make more income and improve things in their lives’. She is finishing college which many of us know is no mean feat even without the added pressure of a marriage and a full time job. Yet she pushes forward confident in her abilitity to get it done and optimistic about what her future will look like. She will call with problems and questions and generally work through them on her own with my only contribution being to listen and agree with her. She is facing a difficult climb and yet she is also confident that with the passage of time and some hard work she will finish and her lot in life will improve.

   Three children, all mine and all facing challenges unafraid and ready to do what it takes to be better and have fun. It is amazing what our children can teach us for they are indeed mirrors that show us what we already know. Their strength and courage came from their parents. Their exuberance for life and trying new things comes from examples set by their parents. Their confidence that things will be alright and turn out better than they hoped comes from watching us as adults plow through life’s difficulties, knocking down barriers and persevering no matter how hard the road, how long the journey, how unknown the outcome. We teach them that for a reason. The same reason our parents taught us the same lessons. My new personal mission statement, “It’s life! Quit crying and live it.”,  and watching my children believe me when I tell them all will be well guide me now and assure me that all will be well. I will let them show me how to live and move forward with courage and laughter as I start over, over 50.