...to watch a few basketball games

...the first two of the season!

Isabella is playing basketball this season!  I may have coaxed prodded insisted she play but she has really put her whole heart into it.  I was so impressed by how hard she tried and by how much she has  already improved.

I think, if you asked her, Isabella is actually surprised at how much she is really enjoying playing and being on the team.

Having said that, for her the evening was rather disappointing.

I think I have mentioned before that she attends a very small school and the basketball teams they play around the area are a mix of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade girls.  There are only 25 total students in our school of these three combined grades...you can imagine that means we don't have a very large basketball team.  In fact, there are only seven girls on the team.

I wish I had the ability to describe eloquently the size difference (both in numbers and in physique) between our girls and the two teams we played.  Just to give you an idea...One of the girls on the other team was taller than Donnie (Amy's husband).  For real.

And the other teams more than double the number of girls we had.  Which of course makes it easier to substitute players...combat fatigue...give the other girls rest.

As for the games, they lost both of them.  The first game was a better match of skill between the two teams.  But we lost.  I believe the score was 4-8.

Isabella barely reaches this girl's shoulder.

On the drive home I was trying to talk to Isabella about the positive's of the evening....

In Isabella's words, "It's hard to be glad about the score of 48-6."

True.  True my sweet girl.  I can understand your point of view.  I really do.  You are right, it isn't fun to lose.  It isn't fun to be out-played.  In fact it stinks.

But what I wish you could see was that the adoring parents of each of you seven girls were so proud.  So very proud each time one of you were able to complete a pass,

when you made rebounds,

and when you girls continued to defend those 'other' girls time and again.

You girls played hard.  The.  Whole.  Game.

That is impressive.

That is what teamwork is all about.

It's called....Perseverance.

And in the long run, with perseverance...you will win.

Promise.