Tiki. He has been home nearly ten years and what a wild ride it has been. . . . so many times over the past ten years I have left sporting events or school events or church events heavy hearted and sad and discouraged because I felt like people saw Tiki as a burden or a hassle. Don't get me wrong--everyone LOVES Tiki, they really do. He has never met a stranger and he is the happiest kid on the planet. Everyone loves him, but those first few years he was a lot to handle and it was obvious at events. And I would leave those events heavy hearted because I just wanted him to be loved and appreciated for his heart and his spirit. . . .
But last night, I left his football game walking on clouds with a heart overflowing with pride and gratefulness and giddiness. Tiki is living his best life right now.
During the game I was taking to a mom and not paying attention (I wasn't paying much attention because Tiki doesn't typically go in to the game until late in the third quarter or the fourth quarter). I was talking to this mom about Tiki and about how great he is doing in school. I was bragging on the school's IEP program and I was bragging on Tiki and how much success he was finding academically this year. I was so happy that school is a place where he "wins" now and not a discouraging place full of failure. I was so caught up in talking about Tiki in school that I didn't realize (early in the second quarter) that he was jogging onto the field. . . until I heard a parent shout, "GO TIKI!" And then another parent shout, "GO TIKI!" And another and another, then I cheered for him and just about the entire crowd was cheering for Tiki because he was going in. That's it. He was just going into the game.
Y'all, the jerseys don't have names on the back. No other players get yelled for when they go into the game. But the parents were cheering Tiki on and I just started crying happy tears. All of these parents knew who number 20 was because their boys really really like Tiki--it wasn't because he was infamous for being a handful, but because the team really likes him. He is the biggest encourager. He is the first one to congratulate someone when he runs off the field after a play, he is the first one to stand by another player and just be his buddy. He isn't competing for a spot on the team because he is loving being a part of the team and people are feeling that. The parents cheering for Tiki spoke volumes to me because they knew Tiki and they were thrilled for him to be going in.
(And hearing Tiki talk about that GO TIKI moment was the best in the car on the way home! He felt it and he was over the moon!)
I was bursting and overflowing with pride and thankfulness and joy last night. Tiki has great friends. He is being invited to people's homes and to youth group and to birthday parties. He is a friend to his teammates, he is a friend to the opposing team, he is a good student, he is a fantastic brother, he is a thoughtful son. He is literally living his best life and I am so happy that his smile and friendliness is paying off.
Tiki is a great kid. He has been exhausting for a decade for so many reasons, but his spirit has NEVER dampened and he has never let his circumstances make him jaded. And last night this proud mama had happy tears streaming down her face as the stands cheered for her boy just for getting in to the game.
They love you Tiki because they have seen your heart through your smile and your encouragement!
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