Kade Bearnson's a Winner!

Before I tell you about Kade's student body president outcome (see the post two below), I want to tell you about an experience we had when Kade was eight years old (this was in 1999). He was a brand new boy scout and the Pinewood Derby was right around the corner. For those of you who've never had a boy scout, the Pinewood Derby is an annual event where the boy scouts race hand-made cars against each other. The cars start out as a block of wood, then each boy scout and his father (or another adult) create what they hope is a winning car. Steve dug out his championship car he'd made with his dad when he was the same age and together he and Kade drilled, sanded and carved what they were sure was the perfect car (following the model of his winning car). The night of the big event, two-year-old Brecken got very sick. My mom, Grandma Downs, came over to babysit her while the rest of us went to cheer on Kade in the big race. There were 20 other boys competing and lots of family members cheering all the boys on. Here's a photo from the evening--Kade and his best buddy, Kyle, are showing off their cars.



Kade's little car did it's best in every heat but came in dead last in every race. It even started rolling backwards towards the starting line on a couple of occasions. Instead of giving up, Kade kept giving us an "It's okay" smile and valiantly kept competing. After the night was over, Steve felt like he'd let his little buddy down. When we got home, Grandma Downs asked Kade how the night went. I will always remember his reply: "My car came in last in every race, but before I went to the Pinewood Derby I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help me be a good sport. And guess what, Grandma? I was a good sport!" I immediately got choked up and tears streamed down my face. What an invaluable lesson this eight-year-old taught me. Sometimes as an adult it's hard to remember to be a good sport--but through the mouth of babes I was reminded that it doesn't matter whether you win or loose--the important thing is to be a good sport. Kade was my hero that night!

Now fast forward to 2008. Last Friday Kade found out the results of his student body final elections. While it was a close race among the five boys who were running for president, Kade didn't win. He called from school to tell me the results and said the boy who won is a great kid. He came home from school in a very cheerful mood and took Brecken out on a "date" that evening. The next morning he got up, helped with chores for several hours, then spent the evening hanging out with extended family members (both grandmas and grandpas). It's been three days now and I've yet to see him feel upset or in a bad mood over this election. So--as you can see, Kade Bearnson really is a winner. Once again he taught me the importance of being a good sport--and to me that 's the best kind of winning of all!

Thanks for your support and Kade thanks you for watching his little movie. He was thrilled to see how many people have watched it!

Have a great Monday night. And--I can't wait to share with you what we did for Family Night tonight!

Sincerely,
Lisa

P.S. I spoke to a group of business students at UVU today and met a lovely gal named Tempestt Turman. I understand her mom, Cindi Hambleton, is a frequent visitor to this site. Just wanted to say hi, Cindi!