Expansive Thankfulness

A big part of my weekend has been in a soccer stadium.  I actually love watching soccer, and this weekend was particularly fun as it is not often that I can cheer for far flung son doing one of the things he loves most.  It was high level soccer with some of the best teams in the country.  I noticed that the leading team was expansive in their play.  I am not sure of the soccer lingo, but as I watched, it seemed like they played a wide game.  Their players were spread apart and yet they were still in good communication.  They passed the ball to one another confidently, freely and with trust and had a wide range of strategies of play. They have played together for years and have intentionally put hard work into their communication and their skills.  They have  made playing the game together a priority in their lives.  They have learned how to be expansive in their play.  They have a strong core of experience and commitment in their team and the younger players are carefully transitioned and mentored into the wide perspective of play.

Sometimes I notice in my own life that I live a limited and narrow game of life.  I am afraid to reach out too far.  I am scattered and not disciplined in my priorities.  I  tightly control and hold onto the ball way too much and do not use my whole team on the big field of life.  If one way of doing things works well, I do not take the risk to try new strategic ways of living.  My heart is narrow and conservative in its range.

Some of my children are limited in their ability to think and feel expansively too.  They have been deeply wounded and their brains and hearts work only in one tight and rather unpredictable corner.

Part of my role as one of the coaches of this family is to help my family team think and play expansively.  I need to start with myself, making sure that I am healthy with a wide range of well thought through and realistic strategies.  I need to open my own heart and to make my family a priority. We need to practice our skills in a wide range of environments.   I need to know the strengths and weaknesses of my team, helping each person to meet their own potential and to be a full functioning member of the team.  It takes skill, time and commitment.  Nobody said it would be easy.

Today is Thanksgiving.  I want to start with an expansive thankfulness for all the blessings of this day.  I am the co-coach of this one family team.  A thankful attitude starts with me.  It can be learned, practiced, shared and communicated in a whole variety of ways.  I'm aiming for a wide and expansive heart game.  I am starting today with wide playing thankfulness to God and to the team around me.

Happy Thanksgiving to all on your own unique playing fields today.