Victory

Soccer Saturday. Maricopa, AZ. It was Kaleb's first soccer game of the season, he took the field and was the leader of the Lion pack. Every time he was in, he was right in the thick of it, going after that ball! He scored 2 goals, possibly 3, and not that we're THOSE parents, but it was an easy win. ;) There was a little heartbreak at the end, as one of Kaleb's teammates stole the ball from him after he'd dribbled it all the way down the field and was about to score again! The BEST part of all was after the game though. Both sides of the field formed victory tunnels and somehow lost in the joy of the moment, Kaleb joined ranks with the other team and ran 3 times through their tunnel, completely oblivious to the fact that he wasn't with his team, that we weren't the ones cheering him on. It just didn't matter. Grandma was trying to videotape him going through the tunnel for his team, and he never came. It was awesome, and reminded me of one of those conference talks I loved recently. Here's an excerpt from a talk by Rosemary M. Wixom, the Primary General President, entitled "Stay on the Path."

Last spring my husband and I attended a soccer game of our four-year-old grandson. You could feel the excitement on the field as the players ran in every direction chasing the soccer ball. When the final whistle blew, the players were unaware of who won or who lost. They had simply played the game. The coaches directed the players to shake hands with the opposing team members. Then I observed something quite remarkable. The coach called for a victory tunnel. All the parents, grandparents, and any spectators who had come to observe the game stood up and formed two lines facing each other, and by raising their arms they formed an arch. The children squealed as they ran through the cheering adults and down the path formed by the spectators. Soon the children from the opposing team joined the fun as all the players—the winners and the losers—were cheered on by the adults as they ran the path of the victory tunnel.

In my mind’s eye, I had another picture. I had the feeling I was seeing children living the plan, the plan Heavenly Father has created for each individual child. They were running the strait and narrow path through the arms of the spectators who love them, each one feeling the joy of being on the path.

Jacob said, “O how great the plan of our God!”³ The Savior has “marked the path and led the way.”⁴ I testify that as we hold on to our children and follow the Savior’s lead, we will all return to our heavenly home and be safe in our Heavenly Father’s arms.