Soccer Mania

Continuing a tradition set forth by her father, Maddie Vinson has fallen in love with the game of soccer. I was able to keep my love for the game a secret for many years, but now the truth has come out. I love soccer. It is hard to know that you are the best soccer player around and still keep folks from finding out. It is a burden that I have had to live with for many, many years. The saddest thing about this whole story is that due to aging, weight gain, and other factors, I will never be able to showcase my skills for the world to see. It's a shame I didn't come out of the soccer closet a little sooner.

Now on to the real soccer star, Madeline. Maddie is playing in the Upward soccer league on Saturdays. She really loves it. She almost got her first goal last week. She had a clean shot but barely missed. Upward is a soccer league sponsored by Second Baptist Church, and the kids learn Bible verses and have prayer before and after the games. The coaches usually lead the prayers before the games with both teams joining hands on the field. Then after the games, the individual teams will have their own prayer. Maddie's coach always asks if any of the kids want to lead the prayer and they never do, until last week. Maddie said she would if the coach would help her out with what to say. So the coach whispered something in her ear and then Maddie said a short but sweet prayer while all the little kids bowed their heads. I was very proud of her, even more than if she would have made 10 goals during the game.