i received a really inspiring email from karen
a few days ago,
and she gave me permission
to share her extraordinary moment.
***
Hi Amy,
I had to tell you
about my extraordinary moment.
Saturday was my daughter’s first cross country meet.
You see, this is her first year for cross county.
She has never run before
so I was a very nervous for her.
This first meet was an invitational
so many girls throughout the area were at this race.
As the gun went off -
I watched Megan run through the sea of girls -
I watched until I could not see her.
I was able to snap a picture of her
as she made it through the first mile.
I cheered her on as she passed me
and I was so filled with pride.
As she finished the 5 mile course,
I wanted to cry as she crossed the finish line -
because she finished the race -
she did not give up
even through the pain.
She finished 189 out of 209.
To me it didn't matter
what position she came in,
just that she finished.
And that is my extraordinary moment.
***
karen’s email
so beautifully captured the emotion
of her extraordinary moment.
i could feel the way her heart
must have raced as the gun fired
and her daughter took off.
i could picture her head
moving from side to side
as her eyes tried to follow
her daughter moving in and out of view.
i could feel her nervousness,
her pride, and her mother’s tears of joy.
proud mom.
lucky daughter.
karen’s words, especially the ones below,
have stayed with me
ever since they landed in my mailbox…
i wanted to cry as she crossed the finish line-
because she finished the race-
she did not give up even through the pain.
She finished 189 out of 209.
To me it didn't matter what position she came in,
just that she finished.
each and every one of us
cross finish lines
that go unrecognized,
even by ourselves.
we refuse to give up,
in spite of the pain…
and then, more often than not,
instead of cheering ourselves on
for what has been accomplished,
we focus on how we might have done better…
let's change that.
let’s love ourselves
like we would
a daughter, a sister, a friend.
let’s applaud our victories
as if we were our own biggest fans,
because that’s exactly who we need to be.
let’s greet ourselves
at whatever finish lines we cross
with warm embraces and lots of loud cheering.
and most importantly,
when it seems like the finish line
may not be within reach,
let's make a promise to ourselves
and to each other
to put on our running shoes anyway.
thanks for sharing
your extraordinary moment, karen.
and congratulations, megan!
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