What You're Willing To Give Up

To be honest, things have been tough for the last few months. It's hard to explain just why even though I know exactly why. Life has come in the past five years and it's not through yet. And the roller coaster ride has ensued with tosses and turns- loops I never imagined. All angles of life are impacted. To be honest- it sucks.

But one thing I am slowly realizing- where I have been struggling to find my personal self in Ivey's world, beyond that of a primary caregiver to a very special needs child who consumes more time than most would be willing to sacrifice, amongst the life of my past I can't get back to, where I am constantly evaluating my position in comparison to someone else and their assumed successful life of assumed possibilities -that is merely available on appearances -for me a price has been paid in the earnings of giving up freedoms and personal time, hobbies and a career, sometimes there's not even enough air to breath. Most view that as a loss. Then they sit happily on the sidelines as the weights on a scale (salary, business, connections, invitations to social events, the number of phone calls received in a day) compounds. Looking out of the corner of their eyes to access if they are the one who has the most, who thinks they know the most, who has the most experience, the most expensive, and the friends that are the most impressive...making sure they are getting their backs patted and praised for all those things and looking down their noses if they don't think you have all those things - you are merely unsuccessful - not as successful as them.

Maybe the success in some one's life is NOT based on what we achieve- maybe, just maybe, life and it's successes is based on what we are willing to give up -

To promote another life - another life besides our own - at any and every hour of the day - knowing that the expense , the pay out, is loosing our own. Watching it happen in real time and letting it happen - willingly. And then actually loosing it - only to find talents beneath the subcutaneous layer that others can only dream about it a typical world. I've got that on my resume. But most never see that.

Maybe it's about working hard to merely let those prior plans and dreams - years of college, the beginnings of a "successful" career sink beneath the surface so that an other's time on this Earth is meaningful and FULL of absolute joy - that they are the benefactors, even though they will never know it. Despite the blood, sweat, absolute sleepless nights and tears that reign, I get up every morning to so that she is successful, others see her as success. I do it willingly, knowing the consequences. Maybe it's taking steps into an unknown and beating odds and statistics that were NEVER in your favor that makes life and real hard work meaningful- refusing to succumb to the the 'what should have beens'.

Maybe it is about sitting in the passenger seat and encouraging others with the credit for the successes, for a life that wasn't supposed to be. Again, willingly.

It's not success to meet personal promotion or personal gains and goals - no success, actually my friend, is having the courage to give all that up.


-Gwen

Special Olympics 2011

Better late than never.  Special Olympics was in the spring.... 

A free slideshow design by Smilebox

Challenging the risks or is it risking the challenges?

At the beginning of the summer I met someone who knew about Ivey but they had never met me.  And like many others they have kept up with Ivey through this blog, even though they have never met Ivey in person either, she was someone who knew Ivey as a life force and a miracle in the present.  Upon the meeting, this person quickly assessed me in the living flesh too.  Where I am most noted as being "Ivey's" mother (in most introductions) there is apparently some expectation about who I am because she said,"You are nothing like I expected".  As you can imagine, I am still trying to decipher that little comment.  There are loose ends dangling everywhere off that one. 

No matter the image hanging out there here's what I do know.  I try to give her wings even when fear consumes me.  My husband is exactly the same, which results in two boys having no fear when it comes to their sister.  And I guess we do a pretty good job of pushing fear down in the right moments, all of which results in having friends who see no limits when they look at Ivey -

or then again maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with us at all- just a divine weaver weaving the right people into this child's life - inadvently and graciously into our life.  Maybe it is really all of them teaching us to challenge the risks and risk her challenges, giving us the courage to give her wings. 

She loves riding in boats, but this took her over the top.  My girl loves things that go fast and toss her around like a ragdoll. 

So here's to our friends - who challenge us to challenge the risks -

(I only wish you all could see the enormous smile on that child's beautiful face (and her daddy's)! P.S. the boys had a blast too! )

Thursday, August 11th go to Dairy Queen for your favorite Blizzards to help support Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Yummy!


-Gwen