One of my genenral life principles is, “I do not get up before 6 a.m.” But occasionally…every once in a while… I do get up before 6:00. But only if it’s worth it. Last Friday was definitely worth it.
C.’s school participates in a “Speech Meet” every year. Every student is required to choose a reading to memorize (they can choose from a variety of genres: Bible memorization, poetry, fables & folklore, etc.). They work on their pieces for weeks — memorizing, adding inflection, learning to make eye contact and address a room full of people.
And then comes the big day: each grade puts on their own speech meet, complete with judges. Students get up in front of the class and present the pieces they’ve been working on. And then they’re done. Whew.
Every year, C. tells me his plan: “I want to do a good enough job so my teacher is happy, but I don’t want to do too well. Because if you do really well — if you do the best in your category — you have to go to the regional competition. And I would never want to do that.”
I could never quite figure out why he didn’t want to go to the regional Speech Meet. The best answer I could get out of him was that he didn’t want to make up the school work that he would have to miss if he went. Nevertheless, I didn’t push him. If he had his piece memorized and did a good job, that was good enough for me.
This year, however, was different.
C. came home one day last month with a huge smile on his face.
“Guess what? I’m going to the regional Speech Meet!!”
And he was very excited. I asked him what happened to his usual plan. “This year, I just decided to give it a try and see if I could make it.”
And he did.
So last Friday morning, I stumbled out of bed at 5:40 a.m. (a time at which I am neither functional nor pleasant nor able to form complete sentences) and got us ready to go to the Speech Meet.
C. dressed up in his finest attire and we were in the car by 6:20 a.m.
It was a long day, but a good one. When the time came for C. to present his speech, he didn’t seem the least bit nervous.
Chad, sitting next to me, was nervous for him, while I sat there having flash-backs. I remembered having to do speeches or presentations in school, and I was always petrified that I would mess everything up. Draw a blank. Pass out. Throw up. Something like that.
But C. did none of those things. Instead, he calmly recited the fable of The Fox and The Crow to a room full of strangers and judges. He made eye contact, added inflection. And then sat down, relieved that it was over.
After a lunch with friends at McDonald’s, we headed back to attend the awards ceremony.
Now, C. was a little nervous. We watched the 1st-graders go. Then 2nd and 3rd grades. Finally, they announced the 4th Grade Fables & Folklore results.
“C. [last name]….Superior!”
C. had scored a blue ribbon and he was thrilled. If he’d been just a little lighter, I think he would have flown up on to the stage.
Dear C.,
I hope I didn’t embarrass you with this post, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m proud of you! You did a great job preparing for the Speech Meet, and handled the pressure like a pro. Good job! I love you!
Love, Mom
That is SO AWESOME!!! Congratulations, C.! I’m seriously impressed!
Yeah, every so often there’s a good reason to wake up early.
WHAT A WONDERFUL MEMORY! C. will never forget the day. Also he will never forget-HE CAN DO IT. Whatever it is . Congratulations to him!! Love Mom
great job C. …. such a humble young man ….
That is so terrific! Congratulations, C.. (I’m sure that having a mom who was a “Best of the Best” competitor helped!)
ooo way to go C.!
That’s so exciting. I’m glad that C. was willing to step out of his comfort zone and really go for it — and that his hard work (and talent!) paid off.
I’m glad that you stepped out of your comfort zone as well — to wake up sooo early. I know that paid off too.
Way to go, C.! What an awesome accomplishment! You look so handsome up there on that stage!
As an aside – this took me back to when I was a 6th grader in Evant, Texas and made it to the State UIL for the same thing – only I had memorized “Little Orphan Annie”…I can STILL recite it verbatim, some 28 years later. Thanks for the sweet reminder.
That is wonderful! I think it’s so great that your school does something like that – it’s almost a forgotten skill but such a very necessary one.
Congratulations, C.!!!!
You brought back memories of my own trips to the Speech Meet every year from 1st to 3rd grade. Fun times.
I’m glad C. did so well.
Go C.! What an amazing accomplishment!
Wow, I am impressed, being more of the “Draw a blank. Pass out. Throw up.” mentality myself! You deserve to be proud and C. will take the lesson of this experience into the future with him!
Way to go C.! You ROCK! I have done a lot of public speaking and I know that it can be a lot of fun but it can be challenging too.
Katrina, I hope that after getting up that early you stopped by and picked up a pizza for dinner. Anyone who gets up that early should not have to cook or do dishes.
It is awesome that you all got to be there together. There are so many families that miss out on that. I know the Rev and I have enjoyed going to our kid’s events and she has enjoyed us being there too.
Yay C.!
From those of us who get up early every day…there’s almost always a good reason to get up early…each day it’s a different reason, but there are lots of good days out there waiting to start.
Oh, and I would have had to sedate my boys to get them to wear a tie. Long pants (even jeans) is about as dressed up as they get.
Congratulations, C.! Well done!
Yay! Congrats, C.
Congrats to all of you for helping him. You are a dedicated mom, Katrina. I can’t think of too many reasons to get up that early either. Kudos!
Congratulations to C.! What a wonderful accomplishment!!!
C. does have an entertaining gene thrown in there from both sides of the tree he comes from. I am very glad to hear that it was his idea to perform at regionals. I am sure that he will be glad that he took that step on his own.
Awesome Job, C.. And you too mom!
Way to go, C.! My daughter recently got a blue ribbon in her school’s speech meet, but they didn’t go to regionals this year.
Congratulations C.!
Congratulations C.! You and your momma should be very proud of yourselves.
As for your general life principle? I love it. I have a similar one, only it’s 6:30 a.m. And No Laundry On The Weekends.
Good guiding principles for life.
Way to go C.. We enjoyed the day with you all and were so happy you did so well!
Thank you for your nice comments!
Well done!
Great job, C.!