Tomorrow we celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday in the US. I just love this holiday as it is a time spent with loved ones and offers us the opportunity to pause and reflect on all the things we have to be grateful for.

I want to personally extend my gratitude and thanks to all the people that have touched my life is such a positive manner. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends around the globe. So on this special holiday, I wish you all enough good things in life to sustain you.

Since the school session has recently started again, it made me think about  how I have always marveled at students that are involved in extra-curricular activities. It takes dedication, focus, persistent, passion, along with many other attributes to successfully balance the demands of studies and dedication to your sport or activity. (Along with having a social life ). I was always grateful that my children participated in multiple activities in High School and college. Being involved in extracurricular activities  offers the opportunities for some of life’s greatest lessons.

1^st – Time Management   These student athletes learn how to balance the demands on their schedule between practice, game time, studies, work, family, faith,  and friends.

2^nd – Hard work    Extra-curricular activities teaches them that achievements are not always easy and quick. It takes hard work and much time to achieve our goals. We earn them piece by piece and step by step. In the sport of football you can gain 8 yards and then loose 2. But as long as you don’t give up, the effort and patience can indeed pay off!

3^rd – Choices   They learned that with every choice there are consequences. This skill will help prepare them to make choices that will have a positive consequence on their lives.

4^th – Winning and losing with grace   How you win is as important as the win itself. Players represent their school, community, and family. The integrity they show in their actions and how they play the game – win or lose – shapes their character.  We always had a saying in our house; don’t get too high and don’t get too low.

5^th – Have fun  You have to be able to enjoy and have fun with what you do. Hard work can be fun! In fact, often times the things that we have to work the hardest at are the things that bring us a great deal of joy.

6^th – The power of teams   Many extra-curricular activities  are team sports, so is life. It takes all players each with different talents and skills willing to work hard and work as a team. Even the player who scores the touchdown didn’t get there by himself. Each person has different gifts and talents. Even when we achieve our greatest goals, it’s not alone. There are people supporting us in various ways all along the way. Life is a team effort.

7^th – The power of support The game is not played in isolation. The crowd cheering on the sidelines is a significant part of the game. It’s family and friends encouraging you to do your best, consoling you when you fail and celebrating when you succeed. We all need those voices of encouragement on the sidelines. We need someone to cheer us up when things don’t go well and friends to celebrate with when things go great.

8^{th –} Friendship While they share a mutual interest in the same activity they also develop a sense of loyalty, respect, and caring for each other. In many cases these friendships will last a lifetime. As a parent of kids involved in extra-curricular activities we were fortunate to have developed lifelong friendships with other parents, how fortunate we were to have that opportunity! 

Yes, these lessons are valuable indeed, in fact, they could be applied to many of life’s situations!