The Biggest Fan...

After Carter's T-ball season, the team got together for a party and invited everyone's family to join the fun. I took the boys and it was fun to watch the boys all get their team pictures and trophies. After they handed out the trophies, Max turned to me and said, "Mom, I want a trophy."
I thought fast (can you buy trophies at the dollar store?) and told him that the next day we were going to go get him a really special trophy, to which he accepted by sadly saying, "Okay." But about five minutes later, he looked up at me and begged, "Mom, I REALLY want a trophy." All I could really say is, "I know you do... and we'll get you a GREAT one."
The coaches wife was within earshot then disappeared. A few minutes later she came up to us with what must have been an extra trophy in hand. She handed it to Max and said,"Max, you get this trophy for being our biggest fan. You were at every game and cheered us on so loudly. We just couldn't have done it without you."
Max's face lit up like I've never seen before and he grabbed the trophy and held it proudly above his head while yelling, "Mom look!! I won! I won!" You would have thought the kid had won a gold medal. He was smiling ear to ear and kept saying how beautiful the trophy was.
Of course, I lost it and we had to leave the party a little early. I am just so grateful for Nicole, the mom that gave him the trophy. It was probably such a small gesture for her, but she made this little boy's summer. He still talks about his trophy and is so proud of it. Watching Max that happy is something that I'll never forget. The pain I felt whenever I looked at Max sitting on the sidelines while the other boys played all vanished in an instant. It helped me realize that it's the little things we do that can make a huge difference in someone else's life.