I've decided that life IS about new beginnings all the time! The last few weeks have definitely been for me and my family! August 21, after much prayer and celebration my husband and I began a trek toward Orlando Florida with our 19 year old daughter Heather. After a disastrous first year of college at The University of South Carolina - Lancaster, we came to realize that( as much as we wanted her to go to college) she was not cut out for it. It was almost like a death... to us... but to her it was freedom!
Without our knowledge she had applied to Walt Disney World's Career Start program. (You know the old saying; "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission") She told us about 2 weeks after she had applied. She also wanted to audition as a dancer for them. Seeing the excitement that we had not seen in her eyes through awhole year of college, how could we deny her this opportunity!
To make a long story short, she was accepted into the program and received 3 call backs from her auditions. We needles to say beamed with pride for what she had just accomplished. A little history on Heather, she has ADD, which has prevented her in excelling in anything that required sitting in a classroom. She has danced for 15 years and that is where her heart has always been!
So we took her on that Saturday morning... Spent Sunday at her Dad's favorite place in this word... Checked her into the Disney Career Start program on Monday.Those were the fastest 3 days of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Leaving her there was one of the hardest things I had ever done. She looked at me and said "Mommy (yes, she still calls me Mommy), please don't cry! I won't be able to do this if you cry" So like a good Mommy, I held my tears back and waited till she was out of sight before I let them roll. I kissed and hugged her and told her how proud I was of her. I watched her kiss and hug her Dad(whom she is super close to) and really fought the tears knowing that we were about to leave our first born 10 hours away from us.
2 comments:
Wow JoAnn, that is great a great post!
I love this statement, "It was almost like a death... to us... but to her it was freedom!"
What courage it took to realize that and act on it. Your daughter is very blessed to have parents who will lay down their dream in order to allow her to pursue hers.
I pray that God will bless that act of faith and that He will keep you and your family close.
Ugghhh!! Sounds like a hard day. I don't think I am going to have to go through that anytime soon... Jason has no desires to do ANYTHING... and Jenna (who now prefers to be called Grace) has a while to go. And... when Anna gets out of high school... I think that I will be too old to move her anywhere.
So... I know it meant the world to Heather for you to allow her to chase her dream. Way to go Mommy!!
Lynn
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