Published on CatholicMom.com
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
My fourteen-year-old son, Mason, surprised us all last fall when he announced he wanted to play Rec. soccer. He hadn’t kicked a ball since he was six. I soon learned the idea came from three of his good friends who were all on the same team. Apparently, if they didn’t recruit a few more kids, they wouldn’t have enough players for the season.
Of course, we wanted to support Mason and sign him up. But the protective side of me didn’t want him to feel badly about himself when he went out on the field with kids who’d been playing, year-round, since they were four.
I reached out to the coach to test the waters. Turns out, Mason’s coach was our neighbor a few streets over. In my relief, I shared the whole back-story, and my concern that Mason’s skill level was basically at a baseline of zero. As soon as he responded, I knew God had perfectly paired this coach with Mason.
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Shifting My Perspective 
Such an inspiring story of your son Mason and Coach Sousa. Never mind coaches, I wish all teachers of vulnerable children, any age, could take an example and be inspired by Coach Sousa’s genuine respect and understanding of the need every young person has for confidence and encouragement to bring forth that latent talent within them!
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Beautifully put, Jackie! It’s amazing how much one good coach or teacher can impact a child. I feel very fortunate that God blessed us with the perfect coach for Mason!
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