Pumpkin Spice Frappe
You may look at this picture & see just another pumpkin spice frappe. & you would be right, it is a pumpkin spice frappe, but it's not just another, it is so much more than that to me. This cup of coffee was a reminder to me at just the right moment that I am right where I am meant to be. I'm sure you are thinking, “how can you get that from a pumpkin spice latte?” Well let me tell you...
First the back story. I was a cheerleader in a high school about 45 minutes from where I live now. We were well respected in our community & won several sportsmanship awards. Being an encourager & cheering others on is a big part of who I am at my core. I loved every bit of it! Fast forward, to my first year as a school counselor, the administration came to me & asked me to be the cheer coach. I wasn't done with grad school yet, but I knew this was something I wanted to do, so I jumped in head first. To be completely honest, the program had a lot of room to grow. I had a great squad of girls that were ready to put in the work right alongside with me.
Over the summer, we practice on the track at the football field where they cheer for football in the fall. One day after practice, my girls overheard one of the senior football players saying some pretty unkind things about them. I was not having it. Since the head football coach is also one of my coworkers at the middle school, I brought this situation up to him. I explained how hurtful those comments were & how they really discouraged my girls. The coach & I have had lots of conversations about building our programs & positive culture in our town, so I knew he would respect my position in bringing this to him. He agreed wholeheartedly & said he would talk to the player. He did talk to him & I think made him run A. LOT. The player apologized to all of us.
Fast forward to the end of the football season. Our last football game was miserable. It was rainy & windy & incredibly cold. My cheerleaders were awesome & gave their all to the very end. After it was all over, that same football player came over to the girls crying. He gave them all a group hug & thanked them for cheering. Ya'll my heart just about exploded.
The next week back at school, I sent an email to the football coach telling him about it & wrote a card for the office aide to deliver to that football player. I told him how proud I was of him for changing his outlook, encouraging those who encourage him every Friday night, & for being an example of positive culture change for our school. I told him that even though the season was over, we would still be cheering him on.
Since then, he pops over to my office "just to chat" about once a week & I am always excited to see him. During one of those conversations we talked about how much both of us like the little local coffee shop we have in our town.
The other day I walked into from recess duty & there is that football player standing in my office with a pumpkin spice frappe just for me. That, my friends is why it's not just another pumpkin spice frappe. This one reminded me of God's promise to me in Esther 4:14 that says, "Perhaps you were created for such a time as this."
Friends, let's not grow weary in doing what we are created for. Showing some extra love & patience, while holding someone accountable for their actions can be the perfect combination. Thank you God, for reminding me of Your goodness through a pumpkin spice frappe.
*This post was written in the fall of 2022. I am no longer the cheer coach, but I continue to have a positive relationship with this now-graduated football player.
