My family and I are on a journey. It is a journey we all share, but to reach our final destination we each seem destined to find our own bridge to cross.
The girls have spent the last two days at "pony camp", which included a one night sleepover. They have only riden a horse a few times before and have even fewer sleepover experiences, so this camp would be a test of their confidence, resilience and self-belief. I was hoping both of them would find something within themselves to make it through and then be able to use this when other challenges arose (like starting at a new school next week!).
My eldest (by 2 minutes) was challenged with being slightly off colour for the two days; at the end of the first day she rang to say her ear hurt and she needed to come home, unfortunately nobody was available to pick her up immediately so she needed to calm herself down and wait for her Dad to arrive. Can you believe that she rung when I was at the doctors surgery, my Mum and Dad were at the hospital and that when my husband received the message to pick her up that the car wouldn't start? In hindsight, perhaps it was her test ... thankfully she made it home, took some medicine and enjoyed a good night sleep. She also managed to override her pride and went back to the camp for the second day.
My youngest (by 2 minutes) sailed through the first day with no obvious challenges and happily spent the night at the camp by herself. This surprised all of us, but we were quietly pleased how it had turned out. However, when I went to pick them up at the end of the second day I found her curled up and crying on the bathroom floor. Someone had not let her back into her room, so she chose to go off by herself and cry. I took her out of the bathroom, handled her with care, then encouraged her to go out and have fun with the others by the pool. It took her a long, long time to stop crying and to join in ... thankfully she did and ended her pony camp with a smile on her face. We debriefed at 'home' (my M&D's house) and all I could think of was not to let someone else 'rain on your parade'.
And what had I been doing for two glorious days to myself? At 'home' in bed with fever and chills, of course! So, I didn't get my hair cut, I didn't get to meet my friend for lunch and I didn't paint write for two days ... but I am sure my lesson is in there somewhere for me to find, along with a little path leading up to my bridge!
This is one of my favourite images ... it reminds me to dance with joy despite what is going on around me. Perhaps I needed reminding because today I have received this message twice!
The girls have spent the last two days at "pony camp", which included a one night sleepover. They have only riden a horse a few times before and have even fewer sleepover experiences, so this camp would be a test of their confidence, resilience and self-belief. I was hoping both of them would find something within themselves to make it through and then be able to use this when other challenges arose (like starting at a new school next week!).
My eldest (by 2 minutes) was challenged with being slightly off colour for the two days; at the end of the first day she rang to say her ear hurt and she needed to come home, unfortunately nobody was available to pick her up immediately so she needed to calm herself down and wait for her Dad to arrive. Can you believe that she rung when I was at the doctors surgery, my Mum and Dad were at the hospital and that when my husband received the message to pick her up that the car wouldn't start? In hindsight, perhaps it was her test ... thankfully she made it home, took some medicine and enjoyed a good night sleep. She also managed to override her pride and went back to the camp for the second day.
My youngest (by 2 minutes) sailed through the first day with no obvious challenges and happily spent the night at the camp by herself. This surprised all of us, but we were quietly pleased how it had turned out. However, when I went to pick them up at the end of the second day I found her curled up and crying on the bathroom floor. Someone had not let her back into her room, so she chose to go off by herself and cry. I took her out of the bathroom, handled her with care, then encouraged her to go out and have fun with the others by the pool. It took her a long, long time to stop crying and to join in ... thankfully she did and ended her pony camp with a smile on her face. We debriefed at 'home' (my M&D's house) and all I could think of was not to let someone else 'rain on your parade'.
And what had I been doing for two glorious days to myself? At 'home' in bed with fever and chills, of course! So, I didn't get my hair cut, I didn't get to meet my friend for lunch and I didn't paint write for two days ... but I am sure my lesson is in there somewhere for me to find, along with a little path leading up to my bridge!
This is one of my favourite images ... it reminds me to dance with joy despite what is going on around me. Perhaps I needed reminding because today I have received this message twice!
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