Monday, February 4, 2013

" The Game Changer "



After all of the Superbowl excitement I thought

this was a perfect lead to share my heart this week.

This is a DIY of a different sort




 Here we are on the field trying to reach

the finish and to succeed in life

where our dreams have led us.


The past two weeks I have watched and lived

a very different type of play on the field the one

that hits you in the blindside.

You know that one that steamrolls you

then completely knocks the wind out of you

and you feel pain you never ever expected.





A month ago my precious Gracie

decided to achieve a goal in school that required

much sacrifice and dedication. She was struggling

and had fallen behind. Since she is well liked and has

a large group of friends Gracie really knew that there

would be a lot she would have to " give up " in order

reach the top. Gracie's teacher assured me that she

had it in her. The weeks went by and I watched her determination

as she stayed focused while all of the others enjoyed

their sports and fun activities. She gave up everything studying

through the weekends and not attending play dates with her cousin.

I was proud of her even through my recent stay in the hospital

she continued to move forward past her worry. I kept in touch with her

by phone but I could hear it in her voice. She is a trooper when it comes to my

battle, she does not understand Lupus but she knows

it takes her mama away from her with no prior warning.


I'm proud of my girl, real proud, darn proud!



{Forgive me today my words are raw with emotion}



So with great anticipation she gets to the top and

we as her family are celebrating, her big brothers are

cheering her on. Her teacher is proud of her great effort

and then she gets sacked!

I watched her sweet face as she walked through

the door and placed down her backpack.

As the tears stream down her face she speaks

with quivering lips " No one was happy for me, some

of my friends did not want to hang out or talk to me today "


Then she said it " they liked me better when I was at the bottom "

Gracie knew it! At nine her insight and her heart was

telling her the truth, some of her friends were not rejoicing with her.


I grabbed her and held her tight and I knew

mama had to share with her girl some

 of the ugly life would have in store for her.

I could not spare her this painful lesson.

This lesson was a DIY that she had to struggle through

regarding the actions of others.



The weeks prior God was already preparing my heart

for this.  I had been steamrolled and as a big girl

I called in the " besties " for back up.

You know there is strength in numbers

and that was " The Game Changer " for me.

As I spent time talking with the girls

we all had faced the same challenge. There were those that

were not happy for us, did not support our endeavors

did not rejoice in our success. Those that stopped talking to us or

 treated us differently. Bottom line it hurt

and it stunk to high heaven.

For me I realized God had placed incredible women

in my life. Ones that are warriors women of strength

and honor. Women that can carry you off the field with one

arm when you are lying there helpless

 and kick your fanny back into a position

to fight for the finish!

{ I love you Girls}


As I prayed for an approach to help Gracie

I was blessed by the

strength of words from my beautiful mama.

" Truth or rosey colored glasses? " is what she

has raised me by. Then she said " Love is a choice do not let

your pain hold you prisoner "


 Choose love...



I pray the Lord's guidance to teach Gracie

 that we can truly

show love to others even when they

hurt us, even when we feel such deep pain

from their actions and words.

I do not want her pain to hold her captive.

I want her to become a woman of grace

and forgiveness. To be a women whose heart can

love in the most difficult circumstances.







I know so many of us are facing

one trial or another at this moment.

We are trying to make it to the finish

and there are the ones that will tackle us

and pummel us right there on our own field.

Surround your heart with those who love you

and support your journey. 

Each of us need to be celebrated, cheered for,

coached from the sidelines and most of all

loved at the place life has us.





There is a new quarterback on the field this week

and she is living her fairytale!


Fight to the Finish...

Much love from me to you
XOXO

32 comments:

Candace Bertalan Horner said...

Oh my, doesn't it hurt so much to watch our children get that hard dose of reality, and as much as we want to bear it for them, we really know inside that they need to go through this...such a tough lesson!! Life can be so difficult!! Gracie is obviously a fighter and she'll get through this and learn who will be there for her; it takes some of us years to learn that......!

CURIOUS said...

Gracie Shares Mama's SOUL . . . And what Beautiful Souls they are !!
GREAT BIG HUGS from Your Boys in Texas !!
JOE & GLENN

It's me said...

Great story from a beautiful child and a proud mother.....Amen !! thanks the Lord.....love and blessings ddarling...xxx..

Unknown said...

Ms. Kate, I needed your words today. In the next coming months my family and I are about to tackle a HUGE struggle that hopefully when it's over we will be better than we have for years. Thank you for sharing lil' Gracie's story with us. Please give her a hug from me and let her know how blessed she is to learn that lesson at such a young age (instead of when she's 41 - like I did). It really shows how much your wonderful heart (AND love) lives on through your children.

Hugs to you my dear friend ~
Deanna
Sorry to hear that you were in the hospital lately. I sure hope you're feeling better : )
{HUGS}

Kristin @ Yellow Bliss Road said...

Oh sweet Gracie girl! It can be such an ugly world. One of the greatest things we can teach our kids is "be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." We all struggle with our share of ugliness, and we don't always know the reasons behind it. Gracie is gaining her strength from you and she will hold her head up high because of it. xoxo to you both!!!

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story!
Gracie will definitely be a stronger, more caring person from this experience and that is something her Mama can also be proud of, always! And I am sure that she will be the first one to smile and cheer on a friend, it's just who she is!

Unknown said...

I have watched my daughter fight similar battles and it is oh so hard. I'm thankful that we have learned that although God has not promised that the road would be easy He did promise that He would never leave us. What an awesome promise.

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

There's an old saying. "A friend walks in when others walk out." Gracie deserves success for her efforts. I'm cheering for you Gracie, as are lot's of supporters you may never meet. Kate, the best gift you've given your daughter is God's grace. She'll be a stronger person for the experience, no matter how hard it is. I know her story all too well. In youth, as well as an adult. Praying for you both.
xoxoRosemary

Anonymous said...

Kate, this is such a touching story! I'm so sorry Gracie had to experience this at such a young age. She is blessed to have such a loving and faith filled mama to help her through this! I know Gracie has gained strength and poise through this and your help! Blessings to both of you!

Sherry at The Rusty Pearl said...

Kate.. YOUR a great mamma and gave your beautiful girl some great advice. I feel so blessed to have you as a blogging sister and know you .. HUGS and thanks for sharing your story.. You all will be in my prayers ... Sherry @ The Rusty Pearl

Amy Kinser said...

Thanks for sharing this, Kate. Encourage her to pray for those people who have hurt her. I am trying to learn this lesson and live by it. Boy, it's tough sometimes but it's so fruitful.

Mary Palumbo Collings said...

Sadly, a fact of life, mean girls are all around us. It hurts us as mommy's to have our girls hurt by others, but we teach and we love them...

Anonymous said...

Please tell your precious daughter that she will find a treasure those true friends, that celebrate her triumphs, regardless of their own fortunes. Those are the friends to keep..others are acqaintences that travel briefly through your life.

Anne said...

Kate what a beautiful post! Let her know I am cheering for her :-) ! I am very proud of her!It is not an easy task.My daughter works very very hard for her grades and I know what it takes.Your daughter is so blessed to have amazing wonderful parents and family that loves her and cheers her on too!
xx
Anne

Unknown said...

What a moving and heartfelt post-I am honored that you shared it.

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

Watching your child hurt is one of the worst things in the world. I hope her friends "snap out of it" soon and go back to being sweet friends again.
I will admit there are times when I've been angry with God because He allowed my child to experience pain that I didn't want him to have. But I'm slowly learning and teaching my children that we grow through pain and are truly better for it. We become mature and able to empathize and to help others. It is a hard lesson to learn though!
I'm so sorry to hear you've been in the hospital sweetie. I will be praying for you and your family.

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Love your truthful post, Kate. It's never an easy road, but one that's proud and true with dear friends and worth the work and the journey, although we don't reach the peak we may have in mind. My very best for Gracie and you, always.
Love from here, ~Tracie

Anne Lorys said...

Gracie is blessed to have you as her Mama.
Tough lessons, to be sure.
We talked about this very thing last week, how there will always be those hoping for your failure rather than your success.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to family and TRUE friends.

I love you, my sweet Kate!

Unknown said...

oh what a wonderful Mama you are to feel your daughters anguish the way you have and to fight back with Love and Forgiveness as lessons for life. The most important ones.

Cheryl ~ ZanyMayd said...

Oh Kate, this had to be so heart wrenching for you.... You're such a wise Momma ~ Beautiful post about lessons that we all unfortunately have to learn about life, but it is so hard when it's your baby!
extra hugs for You & Gracie xox xox

Cam said...

I don't know which is worse... being rejected in failure or being rejected in success. Both are like an ice water bath. Such a shock and so painful.

Shallow people, both children and adults, can only handle mediocrity and surface level depth. Those who understand the crushing pain of falling down, help others to stand up again. And those who understand the sacrifices and hard work success often demands, applaud and celebrate the victories of others.

You are a great mom, Kate! Gracie is so blessed to have you. You are helping her to navigate some rough waters at an early age. Your insight and wisdom and love will equip her to ride the rapids like a champ as she grows.

Awesome post!

TheKnittyContessa.Etsy.Com said...

So this is going to sound weird but when I first stumbled upon your blog I felt an odd connection. After reading this I know why, I have Lupus, too. I hope you're feeling better and Gracie is staying strong.

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

I'm so sorry your daughter had to go through this...such a lesson to learn. Unfortunately, we all go through it...I remember my heart breaking for my own daughter. She is blessed to have a mother with wisdom, insight, and love, to help her grow, understand, and develop compassion...XO

Bilancia Designs said...

I can't imagine Gracie having any trouble...
She's her mother's daughter after all...smart, beautiful and I'm sure will be one tough cookie soon enough!
You're an amazing role model, Kate.
Love you! xoxo

Unknown said...

Beautifully written Kate, thank you for sharing your heart with us. Your daughter is lovely just like her mama xo, Tanya

Unknown said...

Oh, Kate, I wish we could shield our children from things like this. You have done the right thing by standing by your girl and walking WITH her through the hard times. She will emerge beautiful and strong, just like you.
I'm so sorry you were recently in the hospital. Lots of hugs to you both.xoxo
Lynn

Bohemian said...

It is indeed a painful Life Lesson that not everyone has the capacity to Rejoice with you or be Happy for you when you Succeed and receive Blessings. And when our little ones hurt it is painful for us as well. I'm Hoping you are also feeling better, you are indeed an Inspiration to your Family and you Lead by Wonderful Example. Congrats to your precious Gracie, we are Rejoicing with her and for her!

Hugs from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

must love junk said...

This is a sad lesson for Gracie to learn...but she is beautiful and obviously strong (to have 'worked' her way to the top!) and she has YOU so she will get through this stronger. God Bless!
Susan

Katherines Corner said...

Kate I write this with tears, not just for her pain. But for the love that pours out with every word you have written. Biggest Hugs and I do hope you share this post at my hop tomorrow it is so emotionally engaging and a perfect love of Mother for daughter that should be read by many. hugs!! P.S. my daughter has systemic lupus.

Jennifer Jackson Taylor said...

I guess it never matters how young or old you are when it comes to life lessons like these. Cheers to your sweet daughter for shutting out the noise to reach her goals. And she will be thankful as she gets older to have such a loving and supportive mother.

flowersandhome said...

Your story touched my heart. It is such a hard lesson to learn for Gracie. She's so so lucky though to have a mom like you, who supports her and is there for her.
Bye,
Marian

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