MVP - 3 years running

Yes, she is the bomb diggity! This year Jaque receive 5 awards. In basketball, the REBOUND award (even though she only played 1/2 of hte season she had most rebounds) and the HUSTLE award (coach said she never would quit, she would make them run 15 suicides and make them get back on the line - then she would ask them if they had enough and Jaque would say - lets go a few more). In softball she received the OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD, CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (with Maegan), and MOST VALUABLE PLAYER.

It was such an emotional night for us all. Toby, Larissa, Jaron, Jordan, Phillip, and Melinda joined us. We all did really great. Jaque and I told each other we could not cry - then when jaque and maegan won their award together Maegan just broke down. I guess you could say part of Maegan is sitting in that chair with Jaque. Coach did an excellent job, she stayed stong. It was a "Lei--ing it on the line" Hawaiian theme. The decorations were perfect.

Coach said it all with the theme. I mean really, really - if we all just did that everyday, would our lives not improve? Made me think about our last game of regionals. She had pitched her heart out. We had been up the entire game, and ended up losing in the bottom of the last inning. She had done all she could do. Pitching two back to back games, 14 innings in a row is no small feat. We lost, and some of the girls came off crying. Not Jaque. She said "Mom I know that I should be crying with them, but I just can't. I mean I am sorry that we lost, but played the best I could play, so I am not sad."

I am thankful that Chris and I never told her no. You know, not that she is so spoiled that she has gotten everything she ever asked for. But what I mean is that we never said no when it came to her sports. And, I can honestly say Chris and I were at every game. We made sure that she never played a game without one of us there. In fact, we never missed a tournament with select ball. Whether it was Colorado, Houston, Utah, Texarkana, Hope, Dallas, wherever the yellow ball called her, she went. And I know that whenever a coach called and said that he needed her, it was always her decision, and she never once said no. She missed so many holidays on the lake. She would call her friends and they would be riding jet ski's. She would say, well we will see you late tonight. They would ask how late - and she would say if we make the finals, I guess I will just see you in the morning.

She told Maegan after the banquet that she was thankful that it was not her. That if it had to be someone, she was glad it was her. She said that she knew she was strong enought to get through this. She also told her to not give up hope. That if it is in God's plan, they just might be back on that field next year. She said they would be anyway, maybe not the 1-2 combo, but she assured her that she was still going to push her as hard as she ever did.

I know that with everyone, patience is easy some of the time. It is hard all of the time. It must be really hard to be patient when everyone around you (like her friends) are ready now. But we must remember that the devil will not always just attack us when we are weak. More often than not he will attack us when we have had a great day. He will attack us when we are feeling great. But just cast him out, and let him know that we do not have time for his childish ways.

I will leave you today with this: When we got home with all of Jaques awards we looked at her trophy wall in the den. We still had heavy hearts. We talked about how Chris would have to make room for the new ones. This is what I told her as she hugged me and sobbed. I said "Jaque, dad is really going to have a hard time making room." she asked why? I said "because we are going to have to move all of that from the middle." she still was not following me. "I said that she was alive and that was the best gift. And when God choses for her to walk again, the picture of the first step will hang in the middle as her best trophy yet." She just looked up at me with that beautiful smile and that was the end of the tears. She was feeling much better. And she will, with faith, hope, love, and you all as our support, she will.

love you all - Carol