The Pethel Family

Go Bobcats!

***Beware, lots of pictures to follow.

Xoe & Xanthe Rock!

Today, I had the great opportunity of witnessing two little girls' unfallible stamina and positive attitude while running 2 miles (for them, that's a lot) after only training for a few days. They volunteered for the Cross Country Team after they heard that the team needed two more girls in order to compete in the 4th Grade Cross Country Meet.

They were way excited. We went every day to school early. We bought them new "running" shoes...real ones too, not cheapo ones. They went to bed early the night before and they bought new water bottles just for "Cross Country." I also got to hear how excited they were that Ms. Burden put their picture up on the cafeteria wall with the rest of the Cross Country Team. It was all "Cross Country", all the time.

I'll be honest. I was a little nervous. Not only do they have little legs which I thought would make them run slower (which I've been told doesn't matter, some of the fastest runners are short...but this was my thinking---which I only gave a few moments to, but I'll be honest, I thought them), but they hadn't trained as long as the other kids, AND I was afraid they would be so depressed if they didn't come in a high place. Boy, was I proven wrong.

Not once since the Meet have I heard what "place" they came in. And not once have I heard them complain about how bad they did, or what a horrible mistake that was. All they keep saying is how proud of themselves they are that they did it, and how much fun they had. When I got to the field, they were beaming with excitement. And when it was over, they had the same gleam in their eye. Amazing, I tell you, truly amazing.

I got choked up at one point when both Xanthe and Xoe were passing me. Xanthe passed me with a beet-red face but a beautiful smile plastered across it. So, I expected the same from Xoe. But what I found were tears streaming down her face and panting. This was what I was fearing all along. Many of you may not know, but Xoe has asthma. Over the summer we had to take her into the doctor (thank you, Nan!) because her chest was hurting a lot. They gave her an inhaler to help her with sports and activities. However, today, the coach had forgotten to give it to her at the prescribed 30 minutes beforehand. She only gave it to her right before they were ready to start the race. So I was already SO nervous that she was going to pass out along the way. I even jokingly asked another mom (who probably thought I was crazy) if they had people stationed along the path to help kids who collapsed, but I had a small fear inside me that she was going to.

So, when she passed me, she ran up to me with fear in her eyes like she was going to keel over any mintue. All she kept saying was "My chest hurts! My chest hurts!" Immediately, my "Momma Bear" kicked in and every solution that I was rapidly trying to think of was running through my brain. Hospital? Collapsing? 9-1-1? Take her out of the race? But do you know what she said when I told her she could stop was, "No, Mom. I want to keep going. I want to finish the race." Then turned and kept on running. I was calling after her, "Stop and walk for a minute!" "You can stop anytime you need to." But she didn't hear me. She was just counting her steps and saying her mantra "I can do this" (as she told me later on) to get to the end. She may have come in 33rd place (of 45 girls), but in my heart she is truly a winner. I think in her own heart she knew she was a winner too. She made it all the way and when she finished the race I asked her how she felt, she replied, "Great! I finished!" (Somehow, my dear friend, Danielle, captured the moment on camera and sent this picture to me. It makes me choke up every time I see it remembering my strong little girl who is always using her positive attitude to fight the odds she's been given...what with all the health issues she keeps getting stacked against her. She never gives up and never feels sorry for herself. Thank you Danielle for having the quick thinking and foresight to capture this moment).

My mom used to always say that she thought I had an older Spirit than hers. I think I've been given the same thing. My girls, I think, have older Spirits than mine. They are truly champions!

Xanthe Running