I Am Thankful For

At each team meeting this year, we have been asking the girls of the team to write down something they have been thankful for.  Sometimes, it is a quick exercise, and is often something volleyball related or immediate life related.  It has been great to hear some of our new players (I promise I'll stop calling you new in another week or two) say that they have been thankful for "such an accepting team" and a team that "welcomes them and makes it feel like home".  That is exactly what Coach K and I hope for in our team.

So tonight, I'm actually going to write about some things I am thankful for.
1. I am thankful for this absolutely beautiful house. We have 8 bedrooms, 5 full bathrooms, and a half bathroom.  If you ever take 11 college-age girls somewhere, you should probably pray for such a nice set-up.  They certainly enjoy their space.  The house is equiped with an inground pool in the backyard, along with an ajoining hot-tub.  Pretty awesome.  Oh, did I mention it is 4 houses from the beach? 

2. I am thankful for Universidad de Puerto Rico at Rios Piedras (UPR) for opening their doors to us for a fun time tonight and tomorrow morning.  They apparently know what it is like to go through gym floor issues, as their composite floor is bubbling and buckling because of the rain and severe humidity.  Their players were REALLY good, and it was a good chance to see where we were as a team at this point in the season.

3.  I am thankful for Gisela.  Ok, I am thankful for all of our players of course.  But Gisela is from here, and speaks Spanish fluently.  If you know me-you know I have an issue with language barriers- like the issue is I freak out and get nervous.  I'm finding that the language barriers are especially frustrating when trying to read signs in spanish while driving!  Thank you Gisela for your help and patience as Coach K and I get us around this beautiful island. 

4.  My wife- she's awesome.  (#4 was her number in college, I did that on purpose)

5. Finally, I'm thankful for a good and faithful God.  God is showing me that he is good and faithful on this trip.  Being with this team, sharing and interacting.  This is what God has intended, this was part of his plan.  I'm thankful for each member of our team and the way that they were made.

Coach J