“For our final assignment tell the tale of your most prized possession. For this final assignment, lead us through the history of an object that bears a special meaning to you.”
I Treasure My Youngest Grandson
Up front, let me say:
- I treasure my other four grandchildren, as well.
- They are not my “objects,” “things” or “prized possessions;” but they are my “treasures.”
- I am grateful for my grandchildren’s gifts of unconditional love.
- I have been blessed, while in their presence, with indescribable days filled with joy and happiness.
But, this post is about Cameron James Eccleston. He is a valued treasure; and, I am proud of his outstanding soccer accomplishments as well as his academic achievements.
Soccer
Cameron started playing soccer when he was only three-years-old with a neighborhood recreational program.
Later, Cameron moved up to a:
- Summer 3V3 Soccer League, which played against other local, regional and national teams. I, along with hubby, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends went to Orlando, Florida in 2009 and 2010 when he played in the national tournaments.
- Fall, Winter and Spring, Cameron played with FC Milwaukee, now known as FC Wisconsin. FC Wisconsin’s stated purpose is “to represent and include the top players from throughout Wisconsin.” It is one of only 80 clubs recognized by the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
To further develop his soccer skills, Cameron joined a local Hispanic Futsal Winter League for three years. Of the fourteen players, he was one of only two non-Hispanic team members.
Last year, our entire family was overjoyed when Cameron was invited to join the PFC Academy Soccer Team when they played for two weeks in Portugal and Spain. He was assigned the Number 10 Jersey, which is normally considered the best player on the team.
While, soccer takes up a lot of Cameron’s time, he dedicates an equal amount of time to achieve his academic goals.
Academics
One of his last middle-school assignments was to create an audio tape about his educational beliefs. When I heard the audio, the tears flowed; and, I transcribed it as a lasting and treasured memory.
“My name is Cameron and I am in the 8th grade at Lumen Christi Catholic School.
I have Attention Deficit Disorder also known as ADD. I have always wanted to succeed in school. So, I know I have to put a little more effort into listening and studying. I study at least two hours a night. It might not seem that much, but the books we have to read are very short.
My friend is very intelligent, but he doesn’t work as hard. For all these years my friend has been getting better grades than me. I have been sort of jealous so I tried to work harder. I believed I could get better grades than him if I worked harder.
The last year of middle school my friend got a 3.0 grade point average; and, I got a 3.5. I was so proud of myself and this is why I believe hard work beats talent.
I will always believe working hard is better than talent. It is better to try and fail than not try at all. This, I Believe.”
I treasure these words from Cameron; and, I want to preserve them to share with future generations in our family.
An Amazing 14-Year-Old
Cameron’s Awesome Parents.
Way to go Cameron!!! Cebby
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Thank you, Cebby. We are proud of him.
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A wonderful tribute to an amazing young man.
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Thank you. At 14, he knows what he wants and what it takes to get it. We are so proud of him.
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This is a wonderful prose about your grandson, congratulations.
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What a treasure your grandson is. I loved him from the first picture. He has worked hard at his wonderful young life. I think he is blessed with a good Grandma.
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Thank you. He is conscientious, caring, and committed to accomplishing whatever is placed before him. We are so proud of him.
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So wonderful to see this beautiful timeline of an amazing young man, Cameron!
He is very caring on top of all his talent.
Thank you for sharing this very special post.
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Thank you, Jane. I am so proud of him for acceptance and hard work to overcome his diagnosed “difference.”
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Beautiful, Yvonne!
Bonnie Sent from my iPad. Please excuse any typos.
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He is a great kid. And, I am so appreciative that you are by his side as he continues his journey to live a quality life beyond his “diagnosed difference.”
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He is a great and lovable kid.
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Truly a blessed and loving young man and so proud! Auntie you have put together an awesome time capsule and prelude for Cameron! World Cup and Beyond!
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Thanks mom for such a wonderful tribute to Cameron. I wish I could take all the credit for his success but I know we are blessed to have a family that has supported him spiritually, financially and emotionally. Cameron is a legacy of a strong foundation layed by you and daddy. Thank you for everything.
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Thank you, Kim. I am so proud of both you and Cameron. Your commitment and dedication to ensure that he has the tools which will enable him to recognize, accept and overcome the challenges that cross his path. Luv U Mom
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I am a grandmother too and know how proud you are. He has surely learned from his whole family and is a wonderful example to the youth. I am going to share this with my grandsons.
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This adorable little boy is growing up on you and he is going places. He’s very intelligent and talented. You should be so proud. Thanks for sharing this post about your grandson. How awesome is that, that he set a goal to out do his buddy at school and he succeeded. I, too, have ADHD. What people don’t understand is that most people with ADHD are very intelligent, we just have to work a little harder than others to get the same, if not better, results. I only have one grandchild and he is 22 months old and the love of my life. I hope you’re doing “well.” 🙂
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Thank you. Our grandchildren really bring special gifts to us when we are in their presence. In June, I was gifted with the opportunity to spend quality time with four of my grandchildren; and, tomorrow my five-year-old granddaughter arrives from Wisconsin for a four-day visit with planned trips to the beach, Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Sea World. So glad u have returned. Take care.
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Why am I over here smiling as if I raised Cameron? His accomplishments are evidence of a family that fostered that type of growth. I applaud all of you – from the grandparents on down – for a job well done! As a society, we would be fortunate to have many more ‘Camerons’. ❤
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Thank you, Angela. He is a great kid. As a unit, we work together to lead him in the right direction. Far too many of our youth are getting sidetracked.
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What a lovely post and Cameron is such a sweetie. How grandchildlren have a special place in our heart. I always have lots of photos of my grandson and tell people, as a mom I tried to not brag too much, as a nana, I have brag rights! 😀 Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I am truly honoured, Cheryl-Lynn
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Grandchildren are, indeed, special. I have five, uniquely different, but unconditionally loved and cherished. Thank you for your positive comments.
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My pleasure, I love sharing with grandparents:)
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What a wonderful tribute to your grandson. I love your post. All of the pictures are wonderful, but I especially like the baby pictures!!!!
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Thank you, Karuna, he is special. As are your two children who chose to live a serene and tranquil life in India. Thank you for following my post.
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Life in India is not serene and tranquil but it is definitely fulfilling and worthwhile!
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Karuna, I just purchased your book, “Getting to Joy: A Western Householder’s Spiritual Journey with Amma.” I enjoyed your posts on this topic and look forward to the book’s arrival to learn more.
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Wow…. that’s great. It will certainly give you a whole lot more insight into my world…… although my experiences are not usually as dramatic as they were in those days! Feel free to ask questions if they come up as you read it.
I can also give you my email address at some point if you want to check out things that way.
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Karuna, I leave Thursday morning for my annual mother-daughter vacation. Hope the book arrives before I leave, I so wanted to read while on vacation.
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It’s a good vacation book. I hope it arrives too!
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Sadly, your book did not arrive. Raining on our first vacation day — so I am relaxing; but, rest of the week we have a lot of planned activities scheduled.
Happily, I look forward to delving into your book when I return home as I go through muy vacation recovery period.
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There will be plenty of opportunity to read it in the future. I’m glad you are relaxing in the present. This morning here it was raining and sunny at the same time. Was so strange…..
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THANK YOU, KARUNA.
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I enjoyed Cameron and his photos’ and yes, we are on a journey to find ME, the reason I am doing it is , because I gave my life to everyone else in my life. At age 47 I am where I need to find who I am again. Thank you for following me and know I am in job full time and college, my daughter is 20- raised her as a single mom working three jobs, now it’s my turn to go to college, two more classes and I graduate. Praise God ♥
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Kudos. You have a full plate, working full time and pursuing a college degree, but two more classes and you reach a new milestone. I praise you for recognizing he importance of finding yourself. It took a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2008, when I faced my own mortality that I realized most of my life had been spent on meeting the needs of others rather than Me. Best wishes as you pursue your new journey.
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Hello Yvonne, as always reading your post made me smile. Firstly the way you made it clear that they were not objects and you had more than one treasure. I’m so proud of your grandson because he reminds me of my daughter and her striving to succeed at school grades and she’s not doing badly. Her birthday is in Sept and I’ll do her her yearly letter…you’ll get to read about it then. Regards to his parents too!
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Thank you for your comments and I have shared them with Cameron’s parents. I look forward to reading your daughter’s annual letter in September.
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