WRITTEN BY CHERYL WELLS
I know that watching the Iowa Girls has been all over the media and everyone has been talking and abuzz about Caitlin and the team, as well as the topic of women’s basketball. I don’t typically watch sports (other than my grandchildren) but I have loved watching the games. Like, don’t bother me while I’m watching! It’s so beautiful to watch a team work well and Caitlin is such an inspiration to many people, and especially women of all ages.
Every game was different, of course, and as I watched her in different situations there was more to learn and to be impressed with. Not just Caitlin, but the whole team. The love and respect that was there was so evident as they battled through every game and the challenges. At times when Caitlin might have been struggling herself, she relied on her teammates, and they came through. It was amazing to watch them grow in the moments of that game. She is a selfless player and leader and that inspired me so much.
I also listened to some of the interviews of the different players after the game and how they talked about each other moved me to tears. A lot of times Caitlin would be standing next to them with such a proud look on her face and she was there supporting them with her presence. You could tell they weren’t necessarily comfortable with talking on national tv, but she shared her strength, and it was such sweet interaction. You could tell they were so much better together in every situation.
This inspires me so much. No matter the situation or the setting. I can see ways that it’s happening with friends/family, in my marriage, and in my work and ministry again. I’m grateful for the perspective that is causing me to reflect and have awareness of some really beautiful things that I wasn’t seeing for what they truly are.
Our greater family has been growing and changing so much over the last year since the sale of the family business. We have been busy and had to jump into daily decisions that were out of the ordinary for us. All that we knew had suddenly changed and we had to adapt quickly. We asked some great people to help us to learn as a family and we needed their counsel and wisdom. I’m proud of my children and how each one of them accepted the responsibility and embraced the change. It was super emotional for all of us as we had to find a new normal and let go of something that had been such a huge part of our lives. There was so much growth happening in us individually and as a family in the moments of this last year. We are better for it as a whole and it’s been good for our relationships. There has been a thick layer of crap removed that has made it hard to navigate over the years. It’s been good to separate ourselves from all of it. Our family system in many ways can get healthier now and it will take all of us stepping in and speaking up. There’s an awareness coming, and everyone is loved and wanted – needed in the family circle. God is working and bringing awareness, and these are holy moments.
I have also seen this happening in my business/ministry at Side by Side and Habitue’. I love my team and with all the changes that our family is working through, it has caused me to look differently at this too. We are working together as a team to a healthier place as well. At Habitué we gave the place a new look and we closed the drive through, as well as we expanded our hours and menu. There have been a couple of staffing changes and with fresh eyes we have been having fun taking apart things and re-imagining. Again, there have just been times of awareness that was needed. This team serves so well and there is a level of trust that feels safe for people to dream and get creative. It’s working and our guests are loving all the changes. It’s also being reflected in so many other ways. We are getting healthier as a team and a family. God has been bringing us awareness of things. We are getting healthier as a business and a ministry. In both of those places we are about hospitality and that’s all about loving people and serving them. The root word is hospital. We want to be a place where people feel safe and loved and can get well. First of all, that has to happen for us, and it is. We believe that happens in community and there is a vulnerability that has to come. It can get messy, but that is life and without facing the mess we will all live in chaos and lies.
In Genesis there is the story of Jacob and he had gotten himself in a bit of a bind with his brother. He journeyed toward Harran, and he was sleeping one night and all he had for a pillow was a rock. As he was sleeping, he had a dream and he saw a ladder resting on the earth that reached to heaven. There were angels going up and down the ladder, and God spoke to him and blessed him. This was his response:
“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
GENESIS 28:16
Together we can grow in the moments of life. It’s really what we were made for. Knowing and trusting God in relationship with Him is so beautiful, and it’s His plan. He loves us so much and He made the way for us through Jesus. First the awareness that Jesus came and lived and died for us. That our part in it is to surrender to Him and follow in His steps. Those steps affect our everyday life and relationships, and it’s how we can transform, and health will come. Health in our family, our friendships, our everyday life no matter where we work or serve. He is there with us, and He wants us to be aware of some critical things that could change everything. All we have to do is ask. What do I need to be aware of?
