The morning of the derby, Cameron was so excited!! I was too (um...maybe a little bit more than Cameron)!! He was so excited to race his car that he worked so hard to create and to be with his friends! Once we pulled into the parking lot, the adrenaline was PUMPING!!! We quickly prayed, grabbed the car, and the graphite powder! (For those of you who do not know about racing pinewood derby cars...graphite powder looks like powder made from pencil lead and it is applied to the tires before racing).
We anxiously awaited the results from the scale to make sure the car was under the required weight.....the weight rule is that the car has to be 5.0oz or LESS!!! Not a whole lot of weight to say the least!!!) Cameron and I both took a deep breath and waited for the magic number to appear....4.95oz!!! Whew! We are off to a fantastic start!
The race consisted of 5 heats for each car. Cameron was so excited to hear his name being called when the line-up of cars was announced (there's something about hearing your name being announced!!!). He loved watching his prized car race down the track and to see his times flash on the screen! To make a long story short....Cameron did not place. The look of disappointment on his face crushed my heart. I had to remind my dear boy that it did not matter if he won or not, what was important is that he was able to create something and see it through to the end. It was important to be a good support and to congratulate the winners. It was important that he tried and never gave up. It was important to know that I was so proud of him regardless of a win or loss. And the most important lesson he learned was to praise God despite the outcome! Most times life lessons can only be learned and appreciated by experiencing them.
Despite not winning the race, Cameron did receive a medal for the "Most Realistic Derby Car"!!!!! Proud Mom Moment: hearing his name called, seeing him accept his medal, high-fiving me, and giving thanks to God!!!! Life lessons: He has learned to give God praise and that hard work does pay off!
As we left the race, Cameron told me that he was happy that he won a medal but even happier that his good friend won a medal. I told him that it was really great that he was so happy for his friend. Cameron told me that he had been praying to God, asking for his friend to win something so his friend would not be sad. Cameron informed me that he always prays to God for his friends and his family. I asked him why he prays...Cameron proudly answered, "Because God loves me and listens". Of course this melted my heart....to hear my son praying for others. Wow! What a life lesson for me: to pray for others and not just myself....to put away my selfish ways and to put others before myself and to praise God whom all blessings flow regardless of the circumstance....once again the child shall lead them! Reflecting on this, I am reminded of the verse from Psalm 116:2 which says...."Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" What a wonderful verse and a great way to end an exciting day!
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