sportsmanship at it's finest

i heard this story on espn radio tonight. tears welled in my eyes in the car and when i read the article at home. i hope i would exemplify an extreme act of sportsmanship, not just as a enthusiast of the game but as a Christian. this story is especially near to my heart as i am currently playing in a softball league and have torn my acl. for the sports fans/players out there, take heart!

um, do i throw like a girl?

i've been told that i do, in 8th grade. it's one of my few memories from little league. my girly arm will be tested tonight as i practice with my team. yes, i've agreed to play for my church's softball team. i haven't thrown a ball, picked up a bat, fielded a ground ball, or shagged a pop fly in over a year (maybe closer to a year and a half). for you dedicated readers, you already know my obsession with sports. but i'm not a star at any. i can explain, commentate, give a history of my favorite players, but can i play any of these sports? i play hard (if i'm comfortable in the environment) and can make a few plays (if i've practiced enough to know i can perform the task at hand), but that may be all i will offer.
so i suppose time will tell if i let my awkward, clumsy demeanor take over or if the sportsaholic will prevail. and will i be able to say, "my name is sarah and i throw like a girl! what's it to ya??"

credit card blunder

i hate to admit making mistakes, especially mistakes involving money. this month, i completely forgot to make a payment on my credit card. i realized my error on the due date, but had no time to run to the bank. i called the company to let them know i would be making a payment the next day and to find out how likely my chances were of getting the late fee reversed. the ever so courteous (extreme sarcasm) customer service rep told me the company does not reverse fees. i was so infuriated i hung up the phone while the guy was still talking. i drove around a bit and tried to calm my emotions enough to put on a happy face at small group. i think it worked, but inside i was still mad. i hate making mistakes!!!! over the course of the evening and into the next day, my heart was softened and i prayed the devil wouldn't attack my heart with anxiety and frustration.
i went to the bank the next day all prepared to tell the window teller that i had a brain fart and was not trying to shaft the company. i think the only thing the teller said to me was "hello" and "have a good day". i would just call the company later. despite my own short-comings with my emotions, God had relaxed my heart and i haven't been stressed out about the late payment. i just checked my account online to see if my payment and the late fee hit my account so i can attempt to grovel to another customer service rep tomorrow. low and behold, i have a late fee reversal posted to my account.
honestly, my first thought was how great is my God! despite my anger and frustration, he showed me again how merciful and mighty He is! i'm so thankful He reminded me of His love in the small, seemingly insignificant, way that i might remember nothing is too big for my God. no matter how frustrated i get He will not leave me or forsake me. to God be ALL the glory for the things He has, is, and will do!

i'm baffled

i have very little tolerance for stereotyping. the few exceptions are for, well, now that i am here thinking i realize i don't want this post to be about those few exceptions. the point is, i don't like generalizations about a specific group of people, specifically racial stereotyping. it disgusts me to be honest. it's completely unattractive. i've never understood why these types of comments are funny. i have nothing else to say other than i'm baffled by it's use in the Christian community!

march madness stress

i think i'm getting myself all worked up over a game! don't get me wrong, i love sports, but are competitive tournies overrated? my brackets are better this year than they have been in the past few years, maybe ever. i picked 7 of 8 sweet sixteen wins and 3 of 4 elite eight games. so what's with the stress? the answer is simple, my competitive nature is starting to consume me. i'm in two pools, dominated by a male population, and i want to prove myself worthy! i like knowing i can outlast the guys, not from guessing, but because i know and love the game. the energy of march madness is amazing, but can become dangerously consuming.
second, there's the added stress of following the womens' bracket as well. my lady terps are in the elite eight again (last time they won the whole dang thing). they are a turnover laden team that relies are being a faster paced than the opponent, with a plan to wear the other team out. at this point in the tournie, i just don't know if maryland can out run any of the teams. but they pulled out a surprising defensive presence game plan win over vandy (fooling the experts and myself).
but is all this tv watching, standing calculation, strategy picking worth it? it's ruling my life right now and that has to stop. i've let this exciting time of the year cross from hobby to obsession. and that is dangerous. the stress, bragging rights, smack talk isn't worth it. i have to remember to keep my eye on the prize, not for a game, but for life.... my life. everything else is just detail.

the airline shuffle

i booked my flight to baltimore through continental airlines. my itinerary said northwest (i think one airline owns the other or they have the same parent company). due to delay/layover issues, i flew out of south bend with united airlines. and again this morning, delay/cancellation problems had me flying with a 4th airline - delta. :)

flight delays, God's timing

i woke up late this morning (not that this is any different from any other day, but that is for another post). my flight was scheduled for 8:00 and i had every intention of waking up a little after 6:00 to shower and finishing packing. unfortunately, i set my alarm for 7:00 am. i woke up in a panic when tim knocked on my door. i ran around like a chicken with my head cut off and snapped at amanda when she was trying to help me. this is not how the morning was suppose to go. tim and i left around 7:15/7:20. i didn't get to the airport in the required 30 minutes before take off. luckily (because of God alone) the flight was delayed. i was still able to check in. only to find out i would miss my connecting flight in detriot and that flight was the only one going to baltimore today. ugh! the airport service person was able to find me another flight on a different airline (again thanks to God's provisions). i'm now leaving at noon and will arrive in harrisburg (only 90 minutes from my dad's) at 4:30 this afternoon.
despite my sour mood and my blatant defiance of trust, God provided. not only did He provide an alternate flight to an airport close to my original destination, but He also gave me the following: a meal voucher on one of the flights, a $25 discount off my next flight, and extra time to go back home to fully wake up, shower, and pack the stuff i forgot. i instantly felt humbled when everything worked out. how awesome is our God!

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