(beautiful picture should be inserted here but many issues uploading pics her lately...will do later)
There are moments you don’t ever forget in your life-that
imprint themselves on your heart and
soul like nothing else. The birth of our children, our wedding, the days my
kids got into their sports and dance programs at highschool..
Today I got to have one of those big moments. So did my daughter.
In a BIG BIG day. I would even go as far as to say that today competed in
specialness with the birth of my children! Because watching them being born is
a miracle….watching that baby of yours grow up and perform at your work is just
as much as a miracle.
Beauty was invited to the pharmaceutical company where I work
to do a scoliosis presentation and dance performance . She was interviewed as a
patient, I was interviewed as a parent, she did a dance in brace and out of
brace to show that scoliosis would never stop her from her passion. She made
her own video and showed it and named it “My Morning Routine"..she made up a
game and led it with the audience and had prizes for the best boy and best girl.
The whole hour was a miracle.
My husband was there in the front row.
My precious colleagues on my team as well as many of my
wonderful friends from Oncology, Medical, Finance. Caregivers from two major pediatric hospitals. Therapeutic clowns They were all there for us.
For Her.
I was so nervous this morning I threw up twice. I present
all the time literally and I have performed in plays many years of my own
adolescence. Nothing ever makes me nervous. Today
did me in.
Beauty? Calm as a Cucumber.
My company went all out in this one and had it professionally
taped and edited. Camera crews there, microphones, lights..the whole shibang.
It was amazing. She was treated as a true superstar. They made a huge poster of
her too (above) and had everyone sign it and gave it to her for her room. The
video will be given to her to keep and show at her school. The video will also
be on the company intranet and submitted for an award potentially on patient
experiences.
Words cannot express how I felt towards the company I
work for today. An example of true generous leadership and utter work life integration.
I was able to bring my entire self to work today and for the last 8 weeks and I
am grateful. Today I was unable to keep my tears inside of me at many parts of my
interview and Beauty's dance etc……I shed them with pride and security. They are part of me and part of
this experience. I have never felt so proud as today to work for the company I
do. They truly rolled out the red carpet for my daughter in every single way
possible.
They brought both Beauty and I pure Joy
They brought my daughter fully back to life today.This experience will change how she sees the world forever. She now has a new lens to look through.
And HER…OMG HER. I am soooooo not subjective…but I think
every single person in the audience agreed she was so truly beautiful inside
and out. The grace the confidence, the talent, the beauty, the self-assurance.
She was She. It was not MY baby anymore-she was she. 100% and completely her
own person. Separate from me…because of me…with me..apart from me.
I looked at her every minute of that hour in complete
awe. As if I never knew her. Who is this beautiful confident creature? Who is
this person who makes a room come to life-whose eyes light up and whose spirit
is joyous and free? How is it that her dances today were of this calibre? Where did this joy come from? This spirit that the whole room could feel so fully?
Where did she damn well get this talent and passion? Where
does this spirit come from? Where did my attitudy-teenage, sometimes rude
daughter go?
Who is this beautiful beautiful graceful confident human
being? She brought the room down...and up..and down..and up. She was a true inspiration
My husband and I have never felt so proud in the parts of
this that we may have contributed to. This hour made every single moment of
education, discipline, contribution, books read, focus on confidence and
autonomy and self assurance…worth it in every single way. We both agreed that since the moment out three kids have been born our biggest mission was to create confidence in them...the ability to be ok in this big bad world...self assurance. Our highest and most important values for the well being, safety, success, and resilience of our children in a world where they would not have us there to hold their hands much of the time from the minute they entered kindergarten. Watching Beauty up there today.....was magnificent. Like the finale of the longest lesson.
Who is she? She is our daughter? And the wonder my pharma
company today gave me is this glimpse
and sneak peek into which she will be down the road. She showed them what she
cannot always show us. She told them what she can’t always tell us.
They got the biggest piece of the pie today and I was
there to watch them eat it.
What my daughter did today in that room may have even
been worth her having scoliosis. She even said herself that it was worth
wearing the brace 20 hrs. day for 3 yrs.just to have done this. This changed us.
She got to have
this day.
I got to have
this day.
Together
Because of
scoliosis.
Today for the first time since Feb 21 I felt pure joy. Maybe for the first time ever.
I got to get my
daughter.
And equally as important? My daughter got to get me. She saw me in my element at
work. And I got to see her in her graceful flow as a separate entity form being
my daughter. I got to see how others see her and she got to see how others see
me.
And we saw each other..in the middle of it all. Thank you Universe for giving my daughter and I the courage and strength to make this all so beautiful. For understanding that this is what we must do.
Joy..in
the midst of pain. Except today? The pain went away.Joy…in the midst of life. Beautiful breathtaking life. Let me breathe you in.
You are mine again.
