Go team! Go team!
Who do we mean?
We’ll say it loud,
Because we’re proud.

Cheerleaders have evolved to become an integral part of professional sports such as Basketball and Football. They travel with the teams, and represent the teams on and off the court and fields. They are chosen for their skill and charisma, are selected from among thousands of applicants, and are paid top dollar. Though they never touch a ball, or have any direct impact on the outcome of any game, why are they considered so valuable, even indispensable?

The answer to this question lies in this one simple fact: we all need to know that someone is on our side. We need to hear the chorus of others cheering for us, lifting our spirits, injecting energy into us when we are down, reminding us that until the final whistle, there is hope.

Sport teams are not the only ones that need cheering on. The family that discovers the value of becoming one another’s “cheerleaders” has truly learned one of the keys to “winning” over the challenges we face in the world today. We need to be “courtside”, showing our enthusiastic support for each other, and rallying others behind the calls, “You can do it!” Or “You’ve got them on the run!” “We’re proud of you!”

There are plenty of other voices that are also competing for our attention. Instead of “hurrays” , sometimes we hear “boos”. We can easily become beat down and discouraged by the reminder of past failures, or times when we our vulnerabilities have been exposed. When things just don’t seem to be going your way, and when you are going through a valley, as we all do at times, it is especially during these times when we need the unconditional and resounding support of each other in the home. Our cheers can be like turning on a light for one another in a dark room, or a gentle push from behind that moves each other past obstacles and difficulties.

We can’t expect applause and horns sounding in clamorous support of each other in the family from those who are outside the home. For us, we regularly show up and cheer one another on during sporting events, or at other times when family members are facing important or challenging events. We use social media as a tool to show our concerns and to pass along words of encouragement in around these times in the Family group we have created.

Every athlete knows the importance of “home field advantage”. Like the runner in the stadium who hears the roar of the crowd as he rounds the last corner of the race and finds a sudden, explosive burst of energy to blitz past his opponents, may we each learn the importance and power of cheering each other all the way through to the finish line.