'get on your knees and dig down deep, you can do what you think is impossible' ~impossible (rascal flatts)

four years ago, as a senior in high school, i wrote my college entrance essay (which [by the way] i'm convinced is the ONLY reason that i got into william and mary... because it sure as heck wasn't my SAT scores). it was written about a 6-year-old boy with red hair, freckles, and a smile that could melt your heart - my little brother. it emphasized that the most important lesson i had ever learned was from a boy who only ate his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches folded (never cut down the middle) and was obsessed with thomas the train. in the smallest instance, a seemingly inconsequential happening, from the most unassuming person imaginable, he taught me that inspiration can come from absolutely anyone, anywhere.

yesterday, he managed to do it again.

danny plays for a pop-warner football team - offensive tackle (he's a little bigger than when i wrote about him last). they've really struggled this year; they almost didn't have enough players to make a team, a couple of the kids haven't been able to play because of weight restrictions, and they haven't won a game yet. they played yesterday, so i called him beforehand to wish him good luck and tell him to call me when they were done to let me know how they did. when i saw my mama's number flash up on my phone two hours later i knew it was him. he sounded SO excited when i picked up - he was still out of breath from running off of the field and i could tell that he was grinning from ear to ear. i just knew that they had gotten their first win of the season.

his response when i asked how the game went: 'kk, we only lost by 1 point!'

i was disappointed. and confused. these kids had been working so hard, been through so much. i wanted so badly for them to be rewarded for everything they had been through, but they had lost... and my little brother was happy about it. what was going on?

then i realized he was doing it again: teaching me the things i can't learn from the textbooks i read every day or sitting in the classes i go to each week. 'coach said he was proud of us kk! and daddy said i blocked good' - he was happy because they had accomplished something: they were improving. they made the coach proud.

truthfully, it wasn't about the score at all. it was about the experience, the lessons learned, the growth as a team. you can learn a lot from losing. and sometimes it is those lessons that truly matter - not whether you win or lose.

thanks danny, you never cease to amaze me. <3 you to the moon and back.