THANKFUL FOR: CHEER

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s Hannah here (@hannaholiver9 follow me on Instagram)! Cade has a big test tomorrow, so he asked me to be a guest blogger tonight! He has seriously been studying since he woke up this morning. Say a prayer for him tonight!

Today, I am thankful for Cheerleading! I have been a cheerleader for the Ricebirds since the 8th grade, and this week is cheer tryout week. I will be trying out to be a Ricebird Cheerleader for the very last time. I can’t believe that next year I will be a senior. It is crazy how fast time flies. I can remember seeing my number posted on the Junior High Gym’s door the first time I made cheer and almost crying because I was so extremely excited for the opportunity that I had always dreamed of.

When I was a little girl, I had a Ricebird cheer uniform that I wore to the football games. I can remember watching the cheerleaders and thinking that they had to be the coolest people ever. I looked up to them. It amazed me how they could so effortlessly lift a person in the air and do amazing builds and pyramids! (Turns out it isn’t always so effortless haha) Every time I step on the basketball court or the football field, I look for those little girls in the stands that were just like little Hannah Oliver’s dreaming of one day cheering on the birds, and I smile even bigger just because I know they are watching!

This week has just begun and I have been working hard to learn and perfect the dance we learned, my jumps and my tumbling. Tomorrow at practice we learn the cheer, Thursday we have mock tryouts, and Friday after school we have tryouts! This week is usually a stressful one, and I always find myself listening to one of my favorite songs during this week. It is Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin. It basically says no matter what happens we have a God that will always be here for us, be our friend and be by our side… So what should we be afraid of? God has everything planned out! It is a great song, and I would recommend everyone downloading it on iTunes right now. When you have “The God of Angel armies is always by my side” stuck in your head all day instead of “I’ve got a blank space baby, and I’ll write you name” or “Club goin’ up on a Tuesday” it is so much more reassuring and uplifting. I love to listen to encouraging songs like this one because they make me have a much more positive attitude and outlook on the day!

I am thankful for cheer. I am thankful for the friendships I have made through cheering. I am thankful for my awesome Coach Ables who always is so encouraging. I am thankful for the messages in positive songs. Say a prayer for Cade as he takes his test tomorrow, and say a prayer for me as I continue through this week of cheer tryouts!

XOXO
Southern and Thankful