Who's That Girl?

This weekend was one filled with lots of emotions and lessons – some highs and some lows but all of which were filled with plenty of learnings and perspective.

So where do I start? Well, it started on our highest of highs kicking off with competition #2 and despite some hiccups the girls rocked day 1 with one of my favourite numbers from this season. Day 2 is where things took a drastic turn sadly and where our plans completely changed – not only for this weekend, but possibly the remainder of the season.  This is our most treasured and exciting time of year as many people know, so to have that ripped from us was heartbreaking to say the least.  To see the pain and disappointment in your child’s face and not having the ability to fix it is frustrating and sad, but as Mila and I have done in the past, we will find our way through it the best way we can, and we will persevere working towards next year. 

What I have also learned is that with every negative there is always a positive or a silver lining if you will, and the silver linings we received were beautiful blessings that I will never forget.  The first was the messages, videos and outpouring of love my girl received from her teammates.  When I tell you that these girls have an incredibly beautiful bond it is not only when things are good, but also when things get tough.  To see how they rallied around her and made her feel included and still celebrated was priceless.  That is what this community is all about!  Not only learning the beautiful art of dance but it is about building relationships and friendships and the life skill of true teamwork.  As hard as it was for my girl to watch each routine while fighting back tears, I can tell you that she was one of the loudest in the crowd cheering for her friends and with each win they celebrated up on that stage, they celebrated all together.  As I told Mila, she worked incredibly hard this season and I could not be prouder and she deserves each of those awards just as much as the rest.  They are still her achievements too. 

In addition to that beautiful gift another unexpected blessing came our way.  Along our new journey, we have had the opportunity to meet new people and build new relationships and this past weekend I met some of the most heartwarming, and amazingly welcoming individuals.  Coming into a new situation can be nerve wracking and intimidating. What I left with was my heart feeling full and being beyond grateful.  I got to see that there are some remarkably kind people in this world, and it made me realize that in life anyone that truly loves you and that supports you will set aside their personal feelings or discomfort in order to see you genuinely happy and even more so if they have witnessed just how happy you are.  This could not have been easy for anyone as this is a unique and delicate situation for everyone involved but somehow there was not even a second of awkwardness, not a glance of judgement or anything other than warmth.  I laughed until my cheeks hurt, the sadness and fear from earlier in the day had drifted away and the time went by in the blink of an eye. 

All of this confirmed a few things for me: 

First, what you surround yourself with reflects who or what you are so choose wisely.

Second, for every bad there is a good so appreciate the lesson but also the blessing.

Third, there will always be obstacles that come our way, but there will always be plenty of other opportunities so look forward and not back.

Lastly, we truly are on the right path and with each passing day we receive more and more confirmation of just how right it is.

So, I thank the universe and some special people for the highs and lows of this past weekend and as we continue to take things one day at a time, I am reassured that everything will be just fine. 

 xo LM