Senior Series: Childlike Faith

I vividly remember how grief stricken I was after Grandmama passed away.  She was a rock.  She was a light in this dark world.  She was full of unconditional love, grace, and an unshakeable faith.  As you know, she passed right around the time Ethan was in the hospital multiple times with a serious case of pneumonia.  (I have no doubt she prayed fervently for him up until she went to meet Jesus face to face.  And I have no doubt God answered all of our prayers when He performed a healing on your brother that the doctors could only describe as "a miracle".)  

One day shortly after Grandmama passed, you and I were driving to Grammy and Papa's house, alone in the car.  I was very silent, just thinking back on memories with Grandmama.  Out of nowhere you said to me, "Mama, I wonder if Grandmama helped God paint that beautiful sky for us to see today."  You knew her gift of painting, a self-taught gift that she did not share with many, even when she should have.  I looked at the sky.  The beautiful sky that I did not even notice until that moment.  And my heart stopped.  In the midst of my overwhelming grief you reminded me what was most important.  As much as I selfishly wanted her here, Grandmama was no longer with us.  She was with Jesus, where she belonged.  You may not even remember that day, Garrison.  But in that moment you taught me the importance of a child like faith.  

Trust me when I say we can get so bogged down in the day to day of life.  As you get older the pressures of life will naturally increase.  But that doesn't mean our faith has to decrease.  My prayer is that you always have the childlike faith you showed me that day in the car.  I pray that when you have troubles in life (and there will be many, as there are for all of us) that you will look to the One who created you.  I pray that you will cast all of your fears, burdens, and anxieties on him and have the childlike faith (TRUST) that He will carry you through.  Because He will.  Every.single.time!

I love you.

"And He said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3

"When  Jessus saw this, He was indignant.  He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." - Mark 10:14

Senior Series: Being a Leader

You have a gift that people spend years trying to obtain - they pursue business and management degrees, MBAs, reading all kinds of self-help books by leadership gurus.  But you, Garrison?  God has gifted you with leadership.  And when God provides a spiritual gift, He goes all out.  You are the strongest type of leader there is.  You lead by example and you lead with a servant's heart.  

It is no coincidence that you are an older brother and the oldest cousin on both sides of the family.  I know you are not perfect (none of us are), but you shine an undeniable light that others are drawn to.  Your brother and cousins are blessed to have you as an example in their lives.

From as far back as I can remember you were always the kid who stood up for others.  The repercussions of that (unpopularity) never entered into your mind.  You just did what was right.  Period.  I referenced an example in the last post of one of your fellow classmates who recognized your leadership - you were his friend even when you knew that would not be the popular choice.  You choosing to be kind to him proves you were already a strong leader at the age of 11 years old.

You have been a leader on every sports team you have ever participated in.  This does not mean you were the MVP or the loudest, most attention-grabbing member of these teams.  It means you were intentional about lifting others up when they were discouraged.  You were sometimes the only one rallying in the dugout when all others lost their drive.  You were the first one offering to say the team prayer before a game.  You may think these actions went unnoticed by others but I assure you that we and all of your teammates remember you standing out as a leader in these moments. 

You have especially grown as a leader throughout the last few years.  Shotgun has taught you so many amazing life lessons.  You have used those lessons to fuel your personal growth and you have passed those lessons on to others by showing good sportsmanship and humble leadership. 

In the last four years I have truly come to see this gift of leadership God has bestowed upon you.  I have watched you lead by example and with a servant's heart.  I have watched you boldly admit your mistakes so that others might learn from them.  (To be able to do this a teenage boy is monumental!)  I am not exaggerating when I say that I have had dozens of teachers, parents, and leaders telling me "what a great kid" you are.  I have literally received comments such as:

"Garrison is just so kind and respectful."

"That is a Godly young man you have there."

"We are so grateful our son has Garrison as a friend."

"You have raised a wonderful young man full of integrity."

"Garrison went out of his way to spend time with our kid at shotgun practice and we are so thankful."

I mean, what more could we ask for as parents?  You are truly one of a kind.  My prayer for you is that you remember the influence (through Jesus) you can have on people and that you use that gift to glorify God in all you do.

I did some research on quotes about leadership and all of these made me immediately think of you.  You have the characteristics described in every one of these quotes. 

"The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionable integrity". -Dwight Eisenhower

"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others." - Bill Gates 

"Leadership is an action, not a position." - Donald McGannon

And more importantly, as you know, being a good leader requires having a servant's heart.  I pray you will continue to lead with a servant's heart the rest of your days - in your college years, in your career, in your circle of friends, and most importantly - as a husband and father one day.  God has given you a gift for leadership.  Do not let pride get in the way and remember that is a gift from Him, which means you are the vessel - shining His light to others.

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' ". -Acts 20:35

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Fater in heaven." - Matthew 5:16

Senior Year Series: All the Sports

I used to hate sports...until I had a kid who loved and exceled at every sport he tried.  It's amazing how any sporting event on TV makes me fall asleep and any sporting event you have been in has had me biting my nails and screaming at the top of my lungs.  You are so athletic and talented which has given you this crazy ability to be good at every sport you have tried.  We went through a pretty sports heavy stage with you, mostly with baseball.  Some people thought the amount of time we spent at practices, games and tournaments was crazy.  Looking back, I can see that.  But I can also say that those years in sports shaped and defined who you are now.  They helped teach you discipline, teamwork, and leadership.  I am so grateful for that because you've turned into a pretty awesome guy.  Some of the most special years to me were when your dad was able to coach you.  While he was not always the perfect or most patient coach (proving he learned just as much as you did during those years) I am still grateful the two of you had all of that quality time together.  

I just wanted to dedicate a quick post to all of the sports years you've had.  It's been quite the ride.  We have been and always will be your biggest fans!

I love you, bud.

Senior Year Series: Transitions

You have always been so go with the flow.  (I absolutely love that about you, by the way!)  So, back in 2015 when Dad and I told y'all we were thinking about selling our house and moving to the hill country you were a bit nervous, but also very excited for the adventure.  It was hard for us to leave family, an amazing church, and good friends.  Looking back, I can only imagine how hard it was for you to leave all of that and the best friend you had since Kindergarten.  (I love that y'all are still such good friends.  True friendship always stands the test of time.)  We truly felt like God was leading us out to Bandera and we had no idea why.  I guess you could say we were in the same boat as you - a bit nervous but also very excited for this adventure.  

You and your brother took to country living so well.  I loved our walks in the hills of our neighborhood, watching sunsets, and just enjoying all of God's beauty around us.  You were just starting to blossom in baseball and it was hard to leave that behind in Wylie but after much research we were thrilled to find a select baseball team in San Antonio.  The 75 minute drive to practice twice a week was rough but it was so worth it!  Kaos became far more than just a baseball team for you.  It became a family for all of us during those years. 

You were SO brave to start 5th grade in a brand new city at a brand new school, not knowing a soul.  And of course you rocked it!  You are one of the most social kids I have ever met and you can make friends anywhere with anyone.  I vividly remember one day during your 5th grade year.  It was show and tell and the teacher even allowed live pets.  (Welcome to Bandera!)  Am I crazy or do I remember some kid brought a baby kangaroo that day?!  Anyways, you begged me to bring Willie, who was a puppy at the time.  While many of the kids were petting our oh so adorable puppy one of your classmates came up to me.  He had on highwater jeans that were torn at the knee and his shoes were starting to show some serious wear.  My heart immediately went out to this adorable, soft spoken kid.  I will never forget what he said to me.  "I just wanted to let you know that Garrison has been a good friend to me.  I don't have a lot of friends and he is really nice to me."  My heart just burst.  Garrison, I said it then and I'll say it now.  My greatest joy as your mother will always be seeing you love like Jesus loves.  God has given you a heart for others and I will always be more proud of that than any A, any sports trophy, any college acceptance and any future job offers.  You truly are a light in this dark world!  Your 5th grade year definitely had some lows as well but you persevered and you grew so much that year.  

I never felt called to be a stay at home mom and I definitely didn't feel called to homeschool.  But, as you know, God kept putting people in my path that opened my eyes to the possibility of homeschooling you while still working full time.  Of course I didn't tell you at the time but I was absolutely terrified when we made the decision you would start homeschooling in 6th grade.  I always felt like I was a good mom but I never felt qualified to be solely responsible for your education.  But we got through it, didn't we?  We learned and grew together over the next couple of years.  And of course I am so grateful we had BACH so you could have social outlets and learn from other teachers.  I will never forget your comment to me a couple months into your 8th grade year.  "No offense, Mom, but I learn Math so much better from Mrs. Wright than I did from you."  Hahahaha!  You know what though?  No offense taken.  I was just so grateful for all of our resources.  And I am also beyond grateful I have been able to have so much extra time with you and your brother over these past 7 years. 

You have shown us that you can do hard things.  You will face any challenge that is thrown your way and you will overcome.  Not only will you overcome - you will do it with honesty, integrity, respect, and grace.  You will continue to have obstacles in life but I have no doubt that if you persistently seek God's help you will continue to push through the hard things and come out a better man, again and again and again.

I love you, Garrison Robert.

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."  -Romans 5:3-4

"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."  -James 1:12

  

Then vs. Now