A Rhyme & A Reason

Some call it fate. Others call it destiny. Yet, some refer to it as divine intervention. Whatever IT is, I am convinced everything happens for a reason. There's some purpose and reasoning to why we're in a certain place at a certain time and why we make the choices that we do.

For me, the answer seems to keep going back to one thing... VALUES. Family. Support. Passion. There are more but those three values are so intertwined in the life that I could not separate them if I tried.

Family. I have said it countless times, life (at least mine) is all about relationships. Relationships mold, shape and guide your life. They help you learn and grow. Without relationships my life would have no direction.

Support. We do thise by serving others and positively impacting them as they grow and develop as individuals. In times of victory and celebration we stand along side others and uplift their success in the name of support. When we face trials and tribulations we stand, sit and kneel with others to progress and find strength in difficult times. This to we do in the name of support.

Passion. It is the fire within. It is what drives you. It is what propels you. If you have passion, you are fully invested and committed.

My passion is supporting my family. I am more than blessed to be in a position that allows me to do this every day. I am blessed to build, strengthen and focus on my relationships every day. I am blessed to be able to provide support to my family every day. I am blessed to pursue my passion every day.

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Tonight, the importance of my values came full circle in many ways. It hit me all at once. It hit me hard.  The connection of thoughts and reflection is overwhelming. The below is a brief snapshot of how the importance of my values has come full circle tonight.

My co-worker, a fellow support staff member, two student-athletes and I went to a vision meeting for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. On the drive I read a tweet. A tweet that would change my mental state. A tweet that would provoke and shape a personal reflection.

The tweet indicated we should be praying for one of our basketball players and had a link to an article.

I was attending the meeting as a version of support. Support of those attending. Support of an initiative that I believe will greatly benefit those I interact with every day... those that I support... those that I have valued relationships with. I was at a faith-based meeting focused on the population I support while so many were compelled to start praying for one of our own. Was there a rhyme and a reason? I may not be able to explain why, but it was meant to be. There was a rhyme. There was a reason. Everything came full circle.

As I thought about the student mentioned in the tweet, it made me think of our last interaction. It was yesterday. He was at an outreach event with some teammates supporting a cause for those less fortunate in our community. I did not have to be there. But, I was. I was there to support our students as they supported our community. I am constantly told that my attendance is not critical, nor expected. Constantly told I can say 'no.' Constantly told to find a work-life balance. But, still, I was there. I was there to show support for my family because of my passion. I took photos at the outreach event. Tons of students came and went. I got no photos of some and was lucky to get one of others. For some unexplicable reason I had three photos of the student mentioned in the tweet. Is there a rhyme and a reason? I may not be able to explain why, yet there's some reason I took the photos I did. The 'light bulb' moment of this is when I saw another tweet. A message by a stranger that had a copy of my community outreach photos attached to encourage others to look at a photo of the student yesterday. He was smiling with his teammates as they served others. It's an image so many may need to see at this moment: A family with a common passion supporting each other and the community with their acts of kindness. Again, full circle.