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I asked my grandsons about the word, “Strength,” and how it applies to their lives. Christian, 13, recounted his experience with joining the Florence, AL Travel Soccer team. He made the team — a team that consisted of boys who had been playing together for over 5 years. He was the “new kid on the block,” and had to make his way.
GS: What was it like joining your travel soccer team?
Christian: I was behind everyone on the whole team. I thought it was going to be more difficult in the level they were playing on. I didn’t know anything about (travel soccer).
GS: What gave you the courage to challenge that difficulty?
Christian: My leg was injured during my first game. Praying helped. With my leg injury, I wanted to give up, but I didn’t because I knew it would be bad for the end of the season.
GS: For whom, you or the team?
Christian: For the team.
Christian in early soccer.
GS: So, what happened?
Christian: After my leg healed, I scored two goals. I played striker position. I asked the coach what I could do to get better.
GS: I bet he said “Practice.”
Christian: Yeah, I practiced whenever I could. I scored 4 goals for the season.
GS: Do you feel you are strong by yourself or that you help the team to be strong.
Christian: It’s always the team.
GS: Who do you think about as being strong in your family.
Christian: My dad and my mom.
GS: Why are they strong?
Christian: They started a new business and had to train every day. They also had to fix up a new office space.
GS: What did you do to help them?
Christian: I fixed it with them. I picked up chairs and pictures, and when they were tired and wanted to stop, I told them to keep going.
GS: You were the motivator!
Christian: Yeah!
GS: You started middle school this year. How is that going?
Christian: Sometimes hard. When my grades weren’t so good, I had to work harder to see them come up.
GS: Did your hard work pay off?
Christian: Yes.
GS: How do you stay strong?
Christian: Be respectful and be myself.
-Christian Bennett
Born in Milwaukee, WI, Christian just turned 13 and is in the 7th Grade at Florence Middle School, in the Shoals. He lives soccer, but also wants to try his hand at running track. He is also about embark upon a grass-cutting position. He intends to pursue mechanical engineering as a profession. He listens to mostly Pop and Rap, but enjoys all genres of music. His favorite past time is to annoy his little brother, Morgan.
The irrepressible Morgan! Almost 9, Morgan talks about what strength means in his life.
GS: OK, Morgan, how would you define the word, “strength?”
Morgan: Strength is power — having to go through things and fighting through them; doing things for family and others; giving, and loving people. GS: Give me an example of when you had to be strong.
Morgan: When one of my friends died; when my dog, Henry got attacked and had to get stitches; also when my brother fell and had to get stitches. GS: What did you do to show your strength?
Morgan: I hugged him and kept asking if he was OK, and I stayed there for him. Another thing was in school. I got in trouble for doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing.
GS: Like what?
Morgan: Well, I was doing something in art, and I threw a paintbrush. I was called to (Principal)Dr. Maskall’s office, and I told the truth. I didn’t lie.
Jackson, Zion and Morgan
My good friend, Zion, fell off a swing and had to leave the classroom. Then he also got sick, and I felt bad. Yeah, that’s what strength means to me — fighting through things. I kept fighting through to get 90s and 100s on my end-of-year exams, and that made me feel great. My teacher kept on saying, ” You can fight through this. You can do it,” and I did it.
Yeah, that’s what strength means to me — perseverance and giving to others.
– Morgan Frederick Bennett
Morgan is an almost nine year old humorist. He has jokes! He is in third grade at Kilby Elementary, in Florence, AL. He plays soccer, and he intends to be the Kid Roving Reporter for Garden Spices Magazine — his vision.
-Victorine, aka, Grammy
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